Class JO> 7\ Q 1 S A- 
Book 'A 6 Fg 



PRESENTED BY 



THE 

WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY'S 

SHORTER CATECHISM 

EXPLAINED, 

BY WAY OF 

QUESTION AND ANSWER. 

PART I. 

WHAT MAN IS TO BELIEVE CONCERNING GOD. 

BY SEVERAL MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL. 
" Hold fast the form of sound words." — 2 Tim. i. 13. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

The Presbyterian Board of Publication, in issuing an 
edition of this valuable work, have omitted those questions 
and answers relating to the power of the civil magistrate, 
which contain sentiments at variance with the standards 
of the Presbyterian Church in this country. A few other 
questions and answers on points of comparatively trivial 
importance, have been stricken out for a similar reason. 
There are, however, no omissions which affect the system 
of divinity taught by the author. 

W. M. Engles. 

<Gtft 

Mrs. Hennen Jennings 
April 26, 1933 



Printed by 
WM. S. MARTI EN. 



Stereotvped by 
S. DOUGLAS WYETH, 
No. 7 Pear St. Philadelphia. 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 



The Shorter Catechism, composed by the Assembly of 
Divines at Westminster, with assistance of Commissioners 
from the Church of Scotland, being approved by the Gene- 
ral Assembly of the said church in 1648, and ratified by the 
Estates of Parliament in the year following, is above any 
recommendation of ours ; having its praises already in all 
the churches of Christ, abroad and at home, among 
whom it has been justly admired as a master -piece of its 
kind, both for the fulness of its matter, and the compen- 
dious and perspicuous manner in which it is expressed. 

Although it is only a human composure, yet being a 
form of sound words, agreeable unto, and founded on the 
word of God, it ought to be held fast, and earnestly con- 
tended for, by all the lovers of truth, in opposition to the 
contrary errors that are revived and raging in our day ; 
and, in order hereto, it ought to be considered, that a 
divine faith is due to the words of the Holy Ghost sup- 
porting it, as the evident proofs thereof. 

Nothing tends more to the advantage and well-being of 
the church, than sound standards of doctrine, worship, 
and government ; because, as they are a strong bulwark 
against contrary errors and opinions, so they tend to pre- 
serve truth in its purity, and the professors of it in unity and 
harmony among themselves. On the other hand, there is 
nothing more galling to the adversaries of truth, than such 
public standards, because they are a very severe check 
and curb upon their unbounded and licentious liberty, 

iii 



iv 



PREFACE. 



being directly levelled against their erroneous schemes, 
and plainly discovering the harmonious chain of scripture 
truth, in opposition to them. 

The divine ivarrant for such composures, is abundant- 
ly clear from 2 Tim. 1. 13, where we read of the form 
of sound words wherein Paul instructed Timothy ; and 
Heb. v. 12, of the first principles of the oracles of God ; 
and chap. vi. 1, of tlie principles of the doctrine of 
Christ, — Besides, there are several summaries, or 
compendious systems of divine truth, recorded in scripture ; 
such as Exod. xx. 2—18; Matt. vi. 9—14; 1 Tim. iii. 
16 ; and Tit. h. 11 — 15, with many others, which are 
the examples, or patterns, upon which the Christian 
churches, both in ancient and latter times, have deduced, 
from the pure fountain of the word, the principal articles 
of their holy religion, as a test and standard of orthodoxy 
amongst them. 

The Shorter Catechism sets forth the principles of 
Christianity in the most excellent method and order. It 
would be tedious to give a particular analysis or division 
of the several heads of divinity, according to the order of 
the Catechism, But, in general, the method of it may be 
taken up under these four comprehensive articles, namely, 
the chief end, the only rule, the glorious object, and the 
great subject of the Christian religion. 

I. The chief end of the Christian religion, which is the 
glorifying of God, and the enjoying him for ever. Quest 1 . 

II. We have the only rule of the Christian religion ; 
describe 

1. In its matter ; which is the icord of God, contained 
in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. 
Quest. 2. 

2. In its principal parrs ; which are, first, w T hat man 
is to believe concerning God ; and then the duty which 
God requires of man. Quest. 3. 

III. The glorious object of the Christian religion ; which 
is God ; considered, 



PREFACE. 



V 



1. Essentially, _n his spiritual nature, infinite perfections, 
and in his most perfect unity and simplicity. Quest. 4, 5. 

2. Relatively or personally, in the three distinct persons 
of the Godhead ; and in the consubstantiality, and absolute 
equality of these persons. Quest. 6. 

3. Efficiently, in his acts and operations, which are 
either immanent and essential, such as his decrees; or 
transient and external, such as his works of creation and 
providence, wherein he executes his decrees. Quest. 
7—12. 

IV. The great subject of the Christian religion, which 
is man ; considered, 

1st, In his state of innocence, where the covenant of 
works is opened. Quest. 12. 

2dly, In his state of nature, together with the sinfulness 
and misery of that state. Quest. 13 — 20. 

3dly, In his state of graee y or begun recovery ; where 
the Catechism treats, 

1. Of the nature of the covenant of grace. Quest. 20. 

2. Of the Mediator of the covenant ; who is described, 
in his person, offices, humiliation, exaltation, and in the 
application of his purchased redemption by the Holy 
Spirit. Quest. 21—32. 

3. Of the benefits of the covenant ; in this life, at death, 
at the resurrection, and through all eternity. Quest. 32 — 
39. 

4. Of the duties by which we evidence our covenant 
relation and gratitude to God, in the Ten Commandments, 
as connected with their Preface. Quest. 39 — 82. 

5. Of man's utter inability to obey the law in this life. 
Quest. 82. 

6. Of the aggravation and desert of sin. Quest. 83, 
84. 

7. Of the means by which our salvation is carried on 
and perfected at death : the internal means, faith and 
repentance ; the external means, the word, sacraments, 
and prayer. Quest. 85, to the end. 

1* 



PREFACE. 



The first part of this catechetical treatise ends with 
Quest. 38. W/uit benefits do believers receive from Christ 
at tlve resurrection? containing the doctrines we are to 
believe concerning God. The second part respects the 
duty which God requires of man. 

The materials of the following Catechism are collected by 
several ministers, and it was recommended to three of their 
number, to revise what should be done by so many hands, 
that there might be a uniformity of style and method, and 
that repetitions might be prevented as much as possible. 
It has pleased the Lord to take home to himself one* of 
these three, who assisted in the composing and revising 
of this first part ; but, though he be dead, he yet speak - 
eth, and will be spoken of for his excellent works (which 
have already, or may hereafter see the light,) by all those 
who shall have any relish or taste for sound doctrine and 
experimental godliness. — Whatever loss the second part 
of this Catechism may sustain, by the removal of such 
an able and skilful hand, the other tivo make not the least 
doubt, but the Lord would carry on this work with as 
great, or greater advantage, though they were laid in the 
grave likewise. 

Mean time, that what is here presented to public view 
may be blessed of God, for the edification of souls, is, in 
the name of our brethren, the earnest prayer of 

February, 1753 EBEN. ERSKINE. 

JAMES FISHER. 

* The Rev. Mr. Ralph Erskine, of Dunfermline. 



ADVERTISEMENT TO THE THIRD EDITION 



The words of the Shorter Catechism, being advised with 
the greatest judgment, and with a peculiar view, both for 
establishing scripture-truth, and likewise for refuting 
contrary errors, they are therefore, in this edition, 
particularly taken notice of: and to distinguish them, they 
are enclosed within brackets, that the reader may the more 
easily discern how they are explained in this treatise. 

As the Confession of Faith and Larger Catechism are 
granted to be the best interpreters of the Shorter, the 
latter is carefully explained by the former ; and several of 
the following questions and answers framed from these 
standards, as will easily appear by the quotations taken 
from them, and the references made unto them. 

In this edition, almost every answer is confirmed by 
the scriptures ; many are added, where they were former- 
ly wanting, and several exchanged, for those that are 
thought more apposite. — In the former impressions, the 
scripture-proofs were, mostly, subjoined to the end of the 
answer ; but now, each scripture is immediately annexed 
to that part of the answer it is designed to confirm, that 
it may be consulted with greater certainty, and less 
trouble, by those who incline to bring every position, here 
advanced, to the unerring rule and standard of the word. 
— Some of the longer answers are divided into two or more, 
for sake of the memory ; and some additional questions 
are interspersed, through the whole, for illustration. A 
short Index is likewise annexed, of the most material 
things in both parts. 

vii 



viii 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



I have employed my spare time for several months, in 
studying to make this edition as correct and useful to the 
public as 1 could ; and now I leave it in the hands of the 
God of truth, that he may use it for the purposes of his 
own glory, in edifying the body of Christ, till they all 
come, in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of 
the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure 
of the stature of the fulness of Christ. 



JAMES FISHER. 

Glasgow, Jan. 14, 1765, 



THE 



SHORTER CATECHISM EXPLAINED. 



Quest. 1 . What is tlie chief end of man ? 
Ans. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy 
him for ever. 

Q. 1. What is meant by man's [chief end?] 

A. That which ought to be man's chief aim and design ; 
and that which he should seek after as his chief happiness. 

Q. 2. What ought to be man's chief aim and design 1 

A. The glory of God. 1 Chron. xvi. 28,29: "Give unto 
the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, — give unto the Lord 
the glory due unto his name." 

Q,. 3. What should he seek after as his chief happiness ? 

A. The enjoyment of God. Isa. xxvi. 8 : " The desire 
of our soul is to thy name, and the remembrance of thee." 

Q,. 4. What connexion is there between the glorifying 
God, and the enjoyment of him ? 

A. They are connected by rich and sovereign grace, 
persuading and enabling the sinner to embrace Jesus 
Christ as the only way to God and glory. Eph. ii. 8 : " By 
grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of your- 
selves; it is the gift of God." John xvi. 6: — "I," says 
Christ, " am the way ; no man cometh unto the Father, 
but by me." 

Q. 5. Does the chief end exclude subordinate ends 1 

A. No : for, in aiming principally at the glory of God, 
men may use the supports of natural life for refreshing 
their bodies, 1 Cor. x. 31; and be diligent in their par- 
ticular callings, that they may provide for themselves and 
their families, 1 Thess. iv. 11, 12; 1 Tim. v. 8. 

Q,. 6. Why ought the glory of God to be the chief end 
and design of man ] 

A. Because it is God's chief end in man's creation, pre- 
servation, redemption, and regeneration. Prov. xvi. 4: 
" The Lord hath made all things for himself ;" and there- 
fore it ought to be man's chief end likewise. 1 Cor. vi. 
19, 20 : " Ye are not your own ; for ye are bought with a 

9 



10 



of man's chief end. 



price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your 
spirit, which are God's." 

Q. 7. How manifold is the glory of God? 

A. Twofold; his essential and his declarative glory. 

Q. 8. What is God's essential glory ? 

A. It is what he is absolutely in himself Exod. iii. 14 — . 

I AM THAT I AM. 

Q. 9. What is his declarative glory ? 

A. His showing, or making known his glory, to, in, and 
by his creatures, Isa. xliv. 23; 2 Thess. i. 10. 

Q. 10. Can any creature whatsoever add any thing to 
God's essential glory ? 

A. No : for his essential glory is infinite, eternal, and 
unchangeable, Job xxxv. 7. 

Q. 11. Do not the heavens and the earth, and all inferior 
creatures, glorify God ? 

A. Yes: in a passive way, all his works praise him; 
Psal. xix. 1, and cxlv. 10. 

Q. 12. How ought man to [glorify] God? 

A. Man being endued with a reasonable soul, ought to 
glorify God in an active way, Psal. Ixiii. 4, by declaring 
his praise, Psal. ciii. 1, 2; and essaying to give him the 
glory due to his name, Psalm xcvi. 7. 

Q,. 13. How was man to giorify God in a state of in- 
nocence ? 

A. By a perfect, personal, and perpetual obedience to 
his law, Gen. i. 27; and by giving him the glory of all his 
works, chap. ii. 19. 

Q,. 14. Has man answered his chief end? 

A. No : for, " all have sinned, and come short of the 
glory of God," Rom. iii. 23. 

Q,. 1 5. Has God then lost his end in making man ? 

A. No : for God will glorify his justice and power upon 
some, and his grace and mercy upon others of Adam's 
family, Rom. ix. 22, 23. 

Q,. 16. Was ever God glorified by a perfect obedience 
since Adam's fall ? 

A. Never, until Christ, the second Adam, appeared as a 
new covenant head, Isa. xlii. 21, and xlix. 3. 

Q,. 17. How did Christ, the second Adam, glorify God, 
as our surety and representative on earth ? 

A. By finishing the work the Father gave tiim to do, 
John xvii. 4. 

Q. 18. What was the work the Father gave him to do? 

A. It was to assume a holy human nature, Luke i. 35 ; 
to yield a perfect sinless obedience to the whole law, Mat. 
iii. 15; and to give a complete satisfaction to justice, for 
man's sin, by his meritorious sufferings and death, Luke 
xxiv. 26. 

Q,. 19. How does Christ glorify God in heaven? 



of man's chief end. 



11 



A. By appearing in the presence of God for us, Heb. ix. 
24, and applying, by the power of his Spirit, that redemp- 
tion which he purchased by the price of his blood on earth, 
Tit. iii. 5, 6. 

Q. 20. When is it that a sinner begins uprightly to aim 
at the glory of God ? 

A. When, through a faith of God's operation, he believes 
in Christ : Acts viil 37, 39. — " The eunuch answered and 
said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. — And he 
went on his way rejoicing." 

Q. 21. Can no man glorify God acceptably, unless he 
first believe in Christ 1 

A. No : for, " Without faith it is impossible to please 
him." Heb. xi. 6 ; and, " Whatsoever is not of faith is 
sin," Rom. xiv. 23. 

Q. 22. How is it that faith in Christ glorifies God ? 

A. As it sets its seal to the record of God, John iii. 33 ; 
and unites us to Christ, from whom only our fruit is found, 
Hos. xiv. 8. 

Q. 23. Is not God glorified by the good works of be- 
lievers 1 

A. Yes : " herein," says Christ, " is my Father glorified, 
that ye bear much fruit, John xv. 8. 

Q. 24. What are these fruits brought forth by believers, 
by which God is glorified % 

A. They may be summed up in faith working by love, 
Gal. v. 6 ; or, their aiming, in the strength of Christ, at uni- 
versal obedience to the law, as the rule of duty. Phil. iv. 
13 : "I can do all things through Christ which strength- 
ened me." 

Q. 25. How should we glorify God in eating and drink- 
ing] 

A. By taking a right to the supports of natural life, 
through the second Adam, the heir of all things, who has 
purchased a covenant right to temporal, as well as spiritual 
mercies, for his people, 1 Cor. iii. 21 — 23 ; and thankfully 
acknowledging God for the same, 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5. 

Q,. 26. How must we glorify God in our religious wor- 
ship, and other acts of obedience 1 

A. By doing all that we do in the name of the Lord 
Jesus, Col. iii. 17; worshipping God in the Spirit, rejoic- 
ing in Christ Jesus, and having no confidence in the flesh, 
Phil. iii. 3. 

Q,. 27. What is it, next to the glory of God, we should 
aim at ? 

A. Next to God's glory, we should aim at the enjoyment 
of him, Ps. lxxiii. 25, 26. 

Q,. 28. Why should we aim at the enjoyment of God? 

A. Because he is the chief good of the rational creature, 
Ps. cxvi. 7; and nothing else besides him, is either suitable 



12 



OF MANS CHIEF END. 



to the nature, or satisfying to the desires of the immortal 
soul, Ps. cxliv. 15. 

Q,. 29. How may a finite creature [enjoy'] an infinite 
God? 

A. By taking and rejoicing in him, as its everlasting and 
upmaking portion, Ps. xvi. 5, 6, and xlviii. 14. 

Q,. 30. Did our first parents, in a state of innocence, en- 
joy God 7 

A. Yes : there was perfect friendship and fellowship be- 
tween God and them ; for, " God made man upright," Eccl. 
vii. 29. 

Q,. 31. What broke that blessed friendship and fellow- 
ship 7 

A. Sin : our iniquities have separated between us and 
our God, and our sins have hid his face from us, Isa. lix. 2. 

Q. 32. Can a sinner, in a natural state, enjoy God r or 
have any fellowship with him 7 

A. No : for, " What communion hath light with dark- 
ness 7 and what concord hath Christ with Belial V s 2 Cor. 
vi. 14, 15. 

Q. 33. How may a lost sinner recover the enjoyment of 
God, and fellowship with him 7 

A. As we lost it by our fall in the first Adam, so it can 
only be recovered by union with a second Adam, Rom. v. 
18, 19 ; for there is no coming to God but by him, John xiv. 6. 

Q,. 34. When is it that a sinner begins to enjoy God 7 

A. When, having received Christ by faith, he rests upon 
him, and upon God in him, for righteousness and strength, 
Isa. xlv. 24 ; and out of his fulness receives, and grace for 
grace, John i. 16. 

Q,. 35. What are the external means by, or in which, we 
are to seek after the enjoyment of God 7 

A. In all the ordinances of his worship, public, private 
and secret ; such as the word read and heard, the sacra- 
ments, prayer, meditation, fasting, thanksgiving, and the 
like. 

Q,. 36. Are the saints of God admitted to enjoy him in 
these 7 

A. Yes : they are the tristing places where his name is 
recorded, and to which he has promised to come and bless 
them, Ex. xx. 24 — " In all places where I record my name, 
I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." 

Q,. 37. What scripture-evidence have we, of their enjoy- 
ing God in the duties and ordinances of his appointment 7 

A. We find them much employed in religious duties, 
Song iii. 1 — 3 ; and expressing the utmost regard for the 
ordinances of his grace, Ps. lxxxiv. 1, 2. 

Q,. 38. What satisfaction has the soul in the enjoyment 
of God 7 



of man's chief end. 



13 



A. Unspeakably more gladness than when corn, wine, 
and all earthly comforts, do most abound, Ps. iv. 7 

Q. 39. Is there any difference between the enjoyment 
of God in this life, and that which the saints shall obtain 
in the life to come ] 

A. Not an essential, but a gradual difference, as to the 
manner and measure of it. 

Q,. 40. What is the difference as to the manner of the 
enjoyment here and hereafter 1 

A. Here, the enjoyment is mediate, by the intervention 
of means ; hereafter, it will be immediate, without any use 
of these means: "Now we see through a glass darkly; 
but then face to face," 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Q,. 41. What is the difference as to the measure of the 
enjoyment, in this life, and that which is to come 1 

A. In this life the enjoyment is only partial ; in that 
which is to come, it will be full and complete, 1 John iii. 
2 — here, the enjoyment is only in the seed, or first fruits ; 
there it will be in the full harvest, Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6. 

Q,. 42. Is the partial enjoyment of God in grace here, a 
sure pledge of the full enjoyment of him in glory here- 
after] 

A. It is both the pledge and earnest of it, Eph. i. 13, 14. 
Ps. lxxxiv. II. 

Q,. 43. Does the gracious soul, in that state, fully receive 
its chief end 1 

A. Yes ; in regard that then it shall be brimful of God, 
and celebrate his praises with high and uninterrupted 
Halleluiahs through all eternity, Ps. xvi. 1 1 ; Isa. xxxv. 10. 

Q,. 44. Why is the glorifying God made the leading part 
of man's chief end, and set before the enjoyment of him ? 

A. Because, as God's design in glorifying himself was 
the reason and foundation of his design in making man 
happy in the enjoyment of him, Rom. xi. 26 ; so he has 
made our aiming at his glory, as our chief end, to be the 
very way and means of our attaining to that enjoyment, 
Ps. 1. 23. 

Q,. 45. Is our happiness, in the enjoyment of God, to be 
our chief end ? 

A. No : but the glory of God itself, Isa. xlii. 8 ; in our 
aiming at which chiefly, we cannot miss the enjoyment of 
him, Ps. cxi. 14, 15. 

Q,. 46. Is not our delighting in the glory of God, to be 
reckoned our chief end '? 

A. No : we must set the glory of God above our delight 
therein, otherwise, our delight is not chiefly in God, but 
in ourselves, Isa. ii. 11. Our subjective delighting in the 
glory of God belongs to the enjoyment of him, whose 
glory is above the heavens, and infinitely above our de^ 
light therein, Ps. cxiii. 4. 
Part L— 2 



14 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



Q,. 47. Whom does God dignify with the enjoyment of 
himself, in time and for ever ? 

A. Those whom he helps actively to glorify and honour 
him ; for he has said, " Them that honour me, I will hon- 
our," 1 Sam. ii. 30. 

Q,. 48. Does any thing so much secure our happy enjoy- 
ment of God, as the concern that the glory of God has 
in it? 

A. No : for as God cannot but reach the great end of 
his own glory, so, when he has promised us eternal life, in 
Christ, before the world began, Tit. i. 2, we cannot come 
short of it ; because it stands upon the honour of his faith- 
fulness to make it good, Heb. x a 23 ; " He is faithful that 
promised." 

Q,. 49. How does it appear, that the enjoyment of God, 
which is connected with the glorifying of him, shall be 
[for ever ?] 

A. Because he who is the object enjoyed, is the everlast- 
ing- God, Isa. xl. 28 ; and the enjoyment of him is not 
transitory, like the passing enjoyments of time, but the 
eternal enjoyment of the eternal God, Ps. xlviii. 14. 



Quest. 2. What rule has God given to direct us how 
we may glorify and enjoy him ? 

Ans. The word of God, which is contained in the scrip- 
tures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to 
direct us, how we may glorify and enjoy him. 

Q,. 1 . What necessity is there of a rule to direct us how 
to glorify and enjoy God ) 

A. It is necessary, because, since God will be glorified 
by the reasonable creature, nothing can be a perfect rule 
for that end, but his own revealed will, Rom. xii. 2. 

Q,. 2. Can man, by any wisdom or power of his own, 
ever attain to the glorifying of God, and the enjoyment 
of him, which he has come short of, by his fall in the first 
Adam ? 

A. No : his wisdom and knowledge in the things of God, 
are become folly and ignorance, Job xi. 12 ; and his power 
to do good is turned into utter impotency, John vi. 44. 

Q,. 3. Where has God revealed the way, in which man 
may recover and attain the end of his creation ? 

A. In [the word of God, which is contained in the scrip- 
tures of the Old and New Testaments,] John v. 39. Search 
the scriptures, $c. 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



15 



Q,. 4. How do you know the scriptures of the Old and 
New Testaments to be the ivord of God ? 

A. By the print of God that is evidently to be seen upon 
them: for, as none works like God, Isa. xliii. 13; so none 
speaks like him, John vii. 46. 

Q,. 5. What do you understand by the print or impress 
of God that is so discernible in the scriptures J 

A. That majesty, holiness, light, life, and efficacy, which 
shine in the word itself, Rom. i. 16; Ps. xix. 7. 

Q,. 6. What may be said of those who do not see that 
print of God in the word, though they read it 1 

A. It may be said, " The god of this world hath blinded 
the minds of them that believe not," 2 Cor. iv. 4. 

Q,. 7. Since all men are spiritually blind by nature, is it 
not in vain for them to read the scriptures 1 

A. No : it is the will of God that they should read and 
search the scriptures, John v. 39 ; and the entrance of 
his word gives light and sight to them that are blind, 
Psalm c xix. 130. 

Q,. 8. What should a man do that the Bible may not 
remain a sealed book to him ? 

A. Whenever he looks into the word of God, he should 
look up to God, the author of it, saying, " Open thou mine 
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law," 
Ps. cxix. 18. "O send out thy light and thy truth; let 
them lead me," Ps. xliii. 3. 

Q,. 9. By what arguments may we persuade men that 
are infidels, to receive the scriptures as the word of God 1 

A. We may deal with them by rational arguments 
drawn from their antiquity ; the heavenliness of the mat- 
ter ; the majesty of the style ; the harmony of all the parts, 
though written in different ages; the exact accomplish- 
ment of prophecies; the sublimity of the mysteries and 
matters contained in the word ; the efficacy and power of 
it, in the conviction and conversion of multitudes ; the 
scope of the whole, to guide men to attain their chief end, 
the glory of God in their own salvation ; and the many 
miracles wrought for the confirmation of the truth of the 
doctrines contained in them.* 

Q,. 10. Can these or the like rational arguments, ever 
produce a divine faith ] 

A. No : for rational arguments can only produce a mere 
rational faith, founded on reason ; but a divine and saving 
faith rests wholly upon the divine testimony inherent in 
the word itself ; or upon a " Thus saith the Lord." 

Q,. 11. How is this inherent testimony discovered] 

A. By the same Spirit of God that dictated the word, 2 
Pet. i. 21; he being an "Interpreter, one among a thou- 
sand," John xvi. 13. 

* See Confession of Faith, chap. i. § 5. 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



Q,. 12. What is it that will fully persuade and assure a 
person that the scriptures are indeed the word of God 1 

A. « The Spirit of God bearing witness by, and with the 
scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to per- 
suade it, that they are the very word of God," John xvi. 

13, 14. 1 John ii. 27 * 

Q,. 13. Whether does the authority of the scripture, for 
which it ought to be believed and obeyed, depend upon 
the testimony of the church, or wholly upon God 1 

A. " Wholly upon God, (who is truth itself,) the author 
thereof ; and, therefore, it is to be received, because it is 
the word of God," 1 John v. 9. 1 Thess. ii. 13.t 

Q,. 14. Why cannot the authority of the scriptures de- 
pend upon the church 1 

A. Because the true church of Christ depends, in its 
very being, on the scriptures ; and therefore the scriptures 
cannot depend upon it, as to their authority, Eph. ii. 20, 22. 

Q,. 15. Are not the light of nature, and the works of 
creation and providence, sufficient to direct us how we 
may glorify and enjoy God ? 

A. These " do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, 
and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable, Rom. ii. 

14, 15, and i. 19, 20; yet are they not sufficient to give 
that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary 
unto salvation, 1 Cor. ii. 13, 14." J 

Q,. 16. What makes a further revelation, than nature's 
light, necessary 1 

A. The glory of the Divine perfections, particularly his 
mercy, grace, love, and faithfulness, Ps. lxxxv. 8, 10, 11; 
the gross ignorance and degeneracy of mankind, 1 Cor. 
i. 20, 21; the sublimeness of the things revealed, which 
otherwise had never been known by men or angels, John 
i. 18 : it is also necessary for trying the spirits and doc- 
trines of men, and for unmasking the impostures of the 
devil, 1 John iv. 1 — 3. 

Q,. 17. How does it appear that the scriptures are not 
an imposition upon mankind ? 

A. If the penman of the scriptures had inclined to de- 
ceive, they would have accommodated themselves to the 
dispositions of the people with whom they conversed, and 
connived at their lusts ; but, on the contrary, we find they 
faithfully exposed the errors and vices of men, and im- 
partially set themselves against every thing that corrupt 
nature is fond of ; and that, though they were laid open 
to the greatest hardships and sufferings for so doing, 
Acts v. 29, 30, 31—40, 41. 

Q,. 18. W T hat is the meaning of the word [scriptures ?] 

A. It signifies writings ; and the word of God is empha- 



* Larger Cat. Q. 4. t" Confession, chap. i. § 4. 

t Confession, chap, i- § 1. 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



17 



tically so called, because God has therein written to us the 
great things of his law and covenant, Hos. viii. 12. • 
Q,. 19. Why was the word of God committed to writing 1 
A. " For the better preserving and propagating of the 
truth ; and for the more sure establishment and comfort 
of the church, against the corruption of the flesh, and the 
malice of Satan and of the world, Luke i. 3, 4. Prov. xxii. 
20, 21."* 

Q,. 20. How was the will of God made known to the 
church, before it was committed to writing 1 

A. By immediate revelations, Gen. ii. 16, 17, and iii. 15; 
by frequent appearances of the Son of God, delighting, be- 
forehand, to try on the human likeness, Gen. xviii. 2, com- 
pared with v. 3, Judg. xiii. 11, compared with verses 18, 
19 ; by the ministry of the holy angels, Gen. xix. 1, 15, Heb. 
ii. 2, and of the patriarchs, Jude, ver. 14, 15. Heb. xi. 7. 
£ Q,. 21. Why are the scriptures of the Old and New Tes- 
tament called [the word of God . ? ] 

A. Because " all scripture is given by inspiration of God," 
2 Tim. iii. 16, being immediately indited by the Holy Ghost, 
2 Pet. i. 21. 

Q, 22. Why are they commonly called the Bible 1 

A. The word Bible signifying a book ; the holy scrip- 
tures are so called by way of eminence, because they are 
incomparably the best of all books, as containing the in- 
variable grounds of faith in Christ, for life eternal, John xx. 
31: " These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus 
is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, ye might 
have life through his name." 

Q,. 23. Why are the holy scriptures called a [ Testament ?] 

A. Because they are the last will of the glorious Testator, 
first typically, and then actually confirmed by his death, 
concerning the vast legacies therein bequeathed to his 
spiritual seed: Heb. ix. 16, "Where a testament is, there 
must also of necessity be the death of the Testator." 

Q,. 24. Why are the writings of Moses and the prophets 
called the [Old Testament?] 

A. Because the will of the Testator, Christ, was veiled, 
legally dispensed, and typically sealed by the blood of sacri- 
ficed beasts, upon which account it is called compara- 
tively faulty, Heb. viii. 7, 8 ; and was therefore to vanish 
away, verse 13. 

Q,. 25. To whom were the oracles of God, under the 
Old Testament, committed '} 

A. To the church of the Jews, Rom. iii. 1, 2: "What 
advantage hath the Jew 7 Much every way : chiefly, be- 
cause unto them were committed the oracles of God." 



* Confession, chap. i. $ 1. 
2* 



13 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



Q. 26. Why are the scriptures from Matthew to the end 
of the Revelation, called the [New Testament ?] 

A. Because they contain the most clear and full revela- 
tion, and actual ratification of the covenant of promise, by 
the death of Christ the Testator, who is also the living Exe- 
cutor of his own testament, Rev. i. 18 : "I am he thaUiveth 
and was dead ; and behold, I am alive for evermore." John 
xiv. 19 : " Because I Jive, ye shall live also." 

Q. 27. Will this New Testament dispensation of the grace 
of God ever undergo any other alteration ? 

A. No : it will remain new and unalterable, till the second 
coming of the Lord Jesus. Mat xxvi. 29. 

Q,. 28. Do the scriptures of the Old Testament continue 
to be a rule of faith and practice to us who live under the 
New ! 

A. Yes : because they are the record of God concerning 
Christ, as well as the scriptures of the New Testament ; 
for all the prophets prophesied of him ; to him they did all 
bear witness, Acts x. 43; and Christ commands all to 
search them, because eternal life is to be found in them, 
and they testify of him, John v. 39. 

Q,. 29. How could the Old Testament be of force when 
it was not confirmed by the death of the Testator ? 

A. The death of Christ, the Testator, was typified in all 
the expiatory sacrifices of that dispensation ; 'hence is he 
called, " The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," 
Rev. xiii. 8. 

Q,. 30. Is not that typical dispensation now quite abo- 
lished, under the New Testament ? 

A. Yes : for it was promised, that the Messiah should 
" cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease ;" and ac- 
cordingly, M Christ being come, — neither by the blood of 
goats nor calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once 
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption 
for us," Heb. ix. 11, 12. 

Q,. 31. Why was that ceremonial dispensation abolished ? 

A. Because it was only " a shadow of good things to 
come, and not the very image of the things ;" that is, not 
the very things themselves, Heb. x. I. 

Q~ 32. Wherein does the New Testament excel the 
Old? 

A. Amongst other things, it excels it in respect of evi- 
dence, worship, extent, gifts, and duration. 

Q,. 33. Wherein does the New Testament excel the Old 
in respect of evidence? 

A. The Old Testament speaks of a Messiah to come, 
but the New presents him as already come, John i. 29, 41; 
The Old was dark and cloudy, but the New clear and per- 
spicuous, 2 Cor. hi. 18. 

Q,. 34. How does it excel in respect of worship ? 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



19 



A. The worship of the Old Testament was a yoke of 
bondage; but the worship of the New is free, spiritual, 
and easy, Gal. v. L 

€1. 35. How does the New Testament excel in respect 
of extent ? 

A. The Old was confined to the Jews, Ps. cxlvii. 19, 20, 
and a few proselytes among the Gentiles, Ex. xii. 48; 
but the New extends to all the world, Mark xvi. 15 ; and 
its converts are vastly more numerous than under the old 
dispensation, Rev. vii. 9. 

Q,. 36. How does it excel in respect of gifts ? 

A. The gifts of the Spirit are more plentiful, and more 
efficacious under the New, than under the Old, Acts ii. 
17, 18. 

Q,. 37. How does the New Testament excel in respect 
of duration ? 

A. The dispensation of the Old Testament, by types and 
sacrifices, was only for a time, Heb. viii. 13; but the dis- 
pensation of the New, is to continue unalterable to the 
end of the world, Matt, xxviii. 20. 

Q,. 38. Why are the scriptures said to be [the only rule] 
to direct us, how we may glorify and enjoy God 1 

A. Because none but God, the author of the scriptures, 
could, by them, show the way, how he himself is to be 
glorified and enjoyed by fallen sinners of mankind, Mic. 
vi. 6—9. Matt. xi. 25—28. 

Q,. 39. Although the light of nature, or natural reason, 
should not be the only rule, yet may it not be admitted as 
a sufficient rule, to direct us how to glorify and enjoy God 1 

A. By no means ; because of its utter incapacity to give 
the smallest discovery of Christ, the Mediator of the new 
covenant, 1 Cor. ii. 14, who is the only way of salvation 
for lost sinners of Adam's family, John xiv. 6. 

Q,. 40. Is it enough to assert, that the word of God is 
the principal rule to direct us 1 

A. No : because this would leave room to conceive of 
another rule, beside the scriptures, which, though it might 
not be called the principal one, yet might be in itself abun- 
dantly good and sufficient for directing sinners to their 
chief end ; which is false, and contrary to scripture, Luke 
xvi. 29, 31. Isa. viii. 20. Acts iv. 12. 

Q,. 41. Wherein consists the perfection of the scriptures 1 

A. It consists in this, that, " the whole counsel of God, 
concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's 
salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in 
scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be 
deduced from scripture, 2 Tim. iii. 15—17. Gal. i. 8, 9." * 

Q,. 42. Are plain and necessary scripture consequences 

* Confession, chap. i. § 6. 



20 



OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



to be admitted as a part of the rule, as well as express 

scriptures ! 

A. Yes : as is evident from the instance of our Lord, in 
proving the doctrine of the resurrection against the Sad- 
ducees, Matt. xxii. 31, 32. " As touching the resurrection 
of the dead, have ye not read that which' was spoken unto 
you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God 
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob 7 God is not the God of 
the dead, but of the living." 

Q,. 43. Are the scriptures a clear and perspicuous rule ! 

A. All things necessary to be known, believed, and ob- 
served for salvation, are so clearly laid down in one place 
of scripture or another, that every one, in the due use of 
ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding 
of them, Ps. cxix. 105, 130.* 

Q,. 44. Are human and unwritten traditions, how an- 
cient soever, to be admitted as a part of the rule ! 

A. No : all human traditions are to be examined by the 
scriptures; and, 44 if they speak not according to this 
word, it is because there is no light in them," Isa. viii. 20. 

Q,. 45. Can the heathens, by all the helps they have, 
without revelation, attain to such a knowledge of God, 
and his will, as is necessary to salvation ! 

A. By no means : for they are declared to be " without 
God, and without hope in the world," Eph. ii. 12. 44 And 
where there is no vision, the people perish," Prov. xxix. 
18; there being 44 no other name under heaven, given 
among men, whereby we must be saved," but that of 
Jesus, Acts iv. 12. 

Q,. 46. Is the light within men, or the Spirit without the 
word, which is pretended to by the Quakers, and other 
enthusiasts, to be used as any rule for our direction ! 

A. No : because whatever light or spirit is pretended to, 
without the word, it is but darkness, delusion, and a spirit 
of error, 1 John iv. 1, 6. 

Q,. 47. In what language were the scriptures originally 
written 1 

A. The Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew, 
and the New Testament in Greek. 

Q,. 48. Why ought the scriptures to be translated into 
the vulgar language of every nation where they come 3 

A. Because sinners of mankind have a right to, and in- 
terest in the scriptures, Prov. viii. 4»; and are commanded, 
in the fear of God, to read and search them, John v. 39. 

Q,. 49. Who is the supreme judge, in whose sentence 
we are to rest in determining all controversies of religion, 
and examining the decrees and doctrines of men ] 



* Confession, chap. i. § 7. 



OF THE SCOPE OF THE SCRIPTURES. 



21 



A. " No other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the scrip- 
ture," Matt. xxii. 29. Acts xxviii. 25.* 

Q,. 50. Why are the books called the Apocrypha to be 
rejected as no part of the canon of scripture J 

A. Because they were not written in the original lan- 
guage of the Old Testament; nor acknowledged for scrip- 
ture by the Jews, to whom the oracles of God were com- 
mitted ; and have nothing of that impress of majesty, holi- 
ness, and efficacy, which shines so conspicuously in the 
scriptures of the Old and New Testaments ; and because 
they were written after Malachi, whose book is called, the 
end of the Prophets ; and contain many false things, con- 
tradictory and heretical. 

Q,. 51. Wherein consists the incomparable excellency 
and usefulness of the scriptures ! 

A. They are the well furnished dispensatory of all sov- 
ereign remedies, Ps. cvii. 20 ; the rich .magazine of all 
true comfort, Rom. xv. 4 ; the complete armoury of all spi- 
ritual weapons, Eph. vi. 13 — 18; and the unerring com- 
pass to guide to the haven of glory, 2 Pet. i. 19. 



Quest. 3. What do the scriptures principally teach ? 

Ans. The scriptures principally teach, what man is 
to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires 
of man. 

Q,. 1. What is it [to believe] what the scriptures teach? 

A. It is to assent and give credit to the truths thereof, 
because of the authority of God, whose word the scrip- 
tures are, John hi. 33. " He that hath received his testi- 
mony, hath set to his seal that God is true." 

Q,. 2. Are we to believe nothing in point of faith, and do 
nothing in point of duty, but what we are taught in the 
scripture] 

A. No : because the scripture is the only book in the 
world of divine authority ; and the revealed will and com- 
mand of God therein, being so exceeding broad, nothing 
is incumbent on us to believe and do, but what is either 
directly, or consequentially prescribed in it, Isa. viii. 20. 

Q,. 3. Why are the scriptures said [principally] to teach 
matters of faith and practice ] 

A. Because though all things revealed in the scripture 
be equally true, yet every thing in it is not equally neces- 
sary to salvation, 1 Cor. vii. 12, 13. 



* See Confession, chap. i. § 10. 



22 



OF THE SCOPE OF THE SCRIPTURES. 



Q,. 4. What is the order of doctrine laid down in this 
question 7 

A. Faith or believing is made the foundation of duty, or 
obedience; and not our obedience, or duty, the founda- 
tion of our faith, Tit. iii. 8. 

Q,. 5. Why are the things to be believed, set before the 
things to be practised ! 

A. To distinguish between the order of things in the 
covenant of grace, from what they were in innocency, in 
the covenant of works, Gal. iii. 12. 

Q,. 6. What was the order of things in the covenant of 
works ? 

A. Doing, or perfect obedience to the law, was the foun- 
dation of the promised privilege of life : " The man which 
doeth these thmgs, shall live by them," Rom. x. 5. 

Q,. 7. Is this order inverted in the covenant of grace, or 
gospel revelation 1 

A. Yes : the promise is to be believed, and the promised 
privilege, namely, life, must be freely received ; and upon 
this follows our obedience to the law, from gratitude and 
love, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19. 

Q,. 8. How does it appear that this is the order of gospel 
doctrine 1 

A. Because this is the order that God laid, in delivering 
the law at Mount Sinai ; the foundation of faith is first laid 
in these words of the preface, " I am the Lord thy God," 
&c., which is the sum and substance of the covenant of 
grace; and then follow the Ten Commandments, which 
are, as it were, grafted upon this grant of sovereign grace 
and love, Ex. xx. 2 — 18. 

Q,. 9. Is this the order of doctrine laid down in the stan- 
dards of the church of Scotland f 

A. Yes: as appears from this Answer to that Question 
in the Shorter Catechism, " What doth the preface to the 
ten commandments teach us?" The Answer is, "That 
because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer ; 
therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments."* 

Q,. 10. Are we then to keep the commandments, that 
God may become our God ? 

A. No : for this were to slide into a covenant of works ; 
but we are to keep them, because he is our God, accord- 
ing to the tenor of the covenant of grace; Ps. xlv. 11, in 
metre, — "Because he is thy Lord, do thou him worship 
reverently." 

Q,. 11. Why do men naturally think, that upon their 
doing certain acts, God will be their God 7 
A. Because of the natural bias of the heart of man, to the 

* See also Confession, chap. xvi. $ 2. Larger Catechism, Q. 101, 104. 



OF THE SCOPE OF THE SCRIPTURES. 



23 



order in the covenant of works, do, and live, Rom. ix. 32, 
and chap. x. 3, 

Q,. 12. Does not this order make void the law, or weaken 
our obligation to the duties of it 1 

A. By no means; but rather establishes the law, and 
settles our obligation to duty upon its proper foundation, 
Rom. iii. 31. "Do we then make void the law through 
faith ] God forbid : yea, we establish the law." 

Q,. 13. How is this order of doctrine further evinced'? 

A. From the method of doctrine observed by the apostle 
Paul, who tells us, that all true gospel obedience is the 
obedience of faith, Rom. xvi. 26. And accordingly in his 
epistles, he first lays down the doctrine of faith to be be- 
lieved ; and, upon that foundation, proceeds to inculcate 
the duties that are to be practised. 

Q. 14. Does gospel obedience interest us in God, as our 
God? 

A. No : but it is a fruit and evidence of our interest in 
him, 1 John ii. 3, 5. 

Q,. 15. Is there any danger of inverting this order, and 
of making duty done by us, the foundation of believing the 
Lord to be our God 1 

A. There is exceedingly great danger ; for it is the very 
soul of Popery. By inverting this order, they were led 
back to a covenant of works, and the doctrine of the merit 
of good works, which is the foundation of the whole Anti- 
christian superstructure. 

Q,. 16. Do not we find frequently in scripture, a reward 
promised to good works, Ps. cxix. 1. "In keeping of thy 
commandments there is a great reward:" Ps. lviii. 11. 
" Verily there is a reward to the righteous 7" 

A. True ; but this is a reward of grace, not of debt : the 
man that is rewarded, must be a believer in Christ, whose 
person is first accepted, through his union to Christ by 
faith, and the imputation of his righteousness, before any 
of his works or duties can be accepted, Eph. i. 6. Gen. 
iv. 4. 

Q,. 17. What may be said of the works of a man that has 
no faith 1 

A. They are dead works, and so cannot please a living 
God. An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit, Matt. vii. 
18 : and without Christ, and union with him, we can do 
nothing, John xv. 4, 5. 

Q,. 18. What is to be thought of those who inculcate 
moral duties, without discovering the necessity of the new 
birth and union with Christ by faith, as the spring of all 
acceptable obedience ? 

A. They are foolish builders, laying their foundation on 
the sand, perverting the gospel of Christ ; against whom 



21 



OF THE NATURE AND PERFECTIONS 



the apostle denounces an awful doom, Gal. i. 9 : " If any 
man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have 
received, let him be accursed." 



Quest. 4. What is God ? 

Ans. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchange- 
able, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, good- 
ness, and truth. 

Of the Nature and Perfections of God in general. 

Q,. 1. What is the first fundamental truth to be believed, 
and upon which all other truths depend 1 

A. That God is ; or that there is a God, Heb. ix. 6. "He 
that cometh unto God, must believe that he is." 

Q. 2. Is this fundamental truth known by the light of 
natural reason ? 

A. Yes : as the apostle declares, Rom. i. 20. " The in- 
visible things of God, from the creation of the world, are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made ; 
even his eternal power and Godhead." 

Q,. 3. In what volumes has God discovered the know- 
ledge of himself to all mankind] 

A. In the great volumes of creation and 'providence ; 
which he opens to all the world. 

Q,. 4. What says the volume of Creation as to the being 
of a God ! 

A. All creatures in general, and every creature in par- 
ticular, say that God " made us, and not we ourselves," 
Ps. c. 3. 

Q,. 5. What says the volume of Providence ? 

A. It says, that the same God who gave us being, up- 
holds us therein ; and governs us to the end for which he 
made us, Heb. i. 3. 

Q,. 6. Is not every man's oivn being, a convincing evi- 
dence that there is a God ? 

A. Yes : for, " in him we live, move, and have our being." 
No man can have any hand in his own formation in the 
womb, Ps. cxxxix. 15, 16; nor can he add a cubit unto his 
stature, or make one hair of his head either white or black, 
Matt. vi. 27; and v. 36. 

Q,. 7. Though the works of creation and providence 
declare th at God is, can they also tell us what God is 1 

A. They afford us some dark glimpses of his eternal 
power, wisdom, greatness, and goodness ; but it is only 
by and through the scriptures of truth, set home on the 
soul by his Spirit, that we can attain the saving know- 



OF GOD IN GENERAL. 



25 



ledge of God, and of his perfections, John v. 39. 2 Pet. i. 
19. Rom. xv. 4. 

Q. 8. Who is it that reveals God to the sons of men in 
the word ] 

A. Christ, the eternal Son of God : " No man hath seen 
God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the 
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him," John i. 18. 

Q,. 9. What account of himself, has God given us in the 
scriptures ? 

A. There are three short, but comprehensive descrip- 
tions which he has given of himself there ; (1.) That God 
is light, 1 John i. 5. (2.) That God is love, 1 John iv. 8, 
16. (3.) That God is a Spirit, John iv. 24. 
. Q. 10. Why is God said to be light 1 

A. Because of his infinite purity and omniscience, Hab. 
i. 13. Heb. iv. 13; and because he is the fountain and 
father of all light, whether material, natural, gracious, or 
glorious, James i. 17. 

Q,. 11. Why is God said to be love'? 

A. Because, according to the manifestation he has made 
of himself in Christ, love is the reigning excellency of his 
nature, which gives a dye or tincture to all his other per- 
fections, in their egress, or exercise about the salvation of 
sinners, of mankind, John hi. 16. 1 John iv. 8 — 10. 

Q,. 12. Why is he said to be [a Spirit ?] 

A. Because he is necessarily and essentially a living 
intelligent substance; incorruptible, incorporeal, without 
flesh, or bones, or bodily parts, Luke xxiv. 39. 

Q,. 13. How far does God transcend all created spirits'? 

A. He is as infinitely above the being of all created spi- 
rits, as he is above the conception of all intelligent crea- 
tures. Job xxx vii. 23 : " Touching the Almighty, we can- 
not find him out." 

Q. 14. Since God is a most simple and pure Spirit, why 
are bodily parts, such as eyes, ears, hands, face, and the 
like, ascribed to him in scripture ] 

A. Such figurative expressions ought not to be under- 
stood in their literal sense, but according to the true scope 
and intent of them ; which is to set forth some acts and 
perfections of the divine nature, to which these members 
of the body bear some faint resemblance. Thus, when eyes 
and ears are ascribed to God, they signify his omni- 
science; hands are designed to denote his power; and 
his face, the manifestation of his favour : and in this light, 
other metaphors of like nature, when applied to God, 
ought to be explained. 

Q,. 1 5. Is it lawful to form any external image of God 
with the hand, or any internal imaginary idea of him in 
the fancy ? 

Part I.— 3 



20 



OF THE NATURE AND PERFECTIONS 



A. It is absolutely unlawful and idolatrous ; condemned 
in the second commandment, and other scriptures, Deut. 
iv. 12, 15. Rom. i. 23. Man cannot form an imaginary- 
idea of his own soul or spirit, far less of Him who is the 
Father of spirits. 

Q,. 16. What may we learn from God's being a spirit? 

A. To worship him in spirit and in truth, John iv. 24. 

Q. 17. What is it to worship him in spirit and in truth ? 

A. It is to worship him, from a real and saving know- 
ledge of what he is in Christ to lost sinners of mankind, 
John xvii. 3. 

Q,. 18. Is it possible for man to attain the real and saving 
knowledge of God I 

A. Although neither men nor angels can have a com- 
prehensive knowledge of God, Job xi. 7—9 ; yet, besides 
the speculative and merely rational knowledge of him, 
which men have, and may have much of, by the light of 
nature, a saving and satisfying knowledge of him is at- 
tainable, and is promised in the word, Jer. xxiv. 7. "I 
will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord." 
And John vi 45. "It is written in the prophets, They 
shall be all taught of God." 

Q,. 19. Wherein consists the saving knowledge of God] 

A. It is like the white stone and new name, which no 
man knows but he that receives it, Rev. ii. 17; and he that 
attains it, cannot make language of it, but silently admires 
what he cannot comprehend: only, there is no saving 
knowledge of God, but in and through Christ the Saviour, 
2 Cor. iv. 6. 

Q,. 20. What is the language of the soul that sees God, 
and knows him savingly in Christ 3 

A. It is like that of Moses, Ex. xv. 11: "Who is like 
unto thee, O Lord ] — who is like unto thee, glorious in 
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders V Or that of 
the Psalmist, Ps. xlviii. 14 : " This God is our God for ever 
and ever : he will be our guide even unto death." 

Q,. 21. What are the rays of divine glory in the face of 
Jesus Christ, by which we come to know God savingly ] 

A. They are the attributes and perfections of his nature, 
by which he is pleased to manifest himself ; such as, that 
he is [infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, 
wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.] 

Q,. 22. Are these attributes of God, distinct things from 
God himself, or the divine essence I 

A. By no means ; for, whatever is in God, is God hinif 
self ; and therefore the infinity of all perfection, is insepa- 
rable from the divine essence. 

Q,. 23. Are the divine attributes separable from one 
another, so as that which is infinite should not be eternal, 



OF GOD IN GENERAL. 



27 



and that which is infinite and eternal, should not be un- 
changeable, and so of the rest 7 

A. All perfections whatsoever being inseparable from 
God, must also be inseparable from one another ; for 
though we, through weakness, must think and speak of 
them separately, yet all of them taken together, are, 
properly speaking, but the one infinite perfection of the 
divine nature, which cannot be separated from it, without 
granting that God is not infinitely perfect, which would be 
the height of blasphemy to suppose. 

Q,. 24. Why are the perfections of God called his 
attributes ? 

A. Because they are attributed or ascribed to him, 
as the essential properties of his nature, 1 Chron. xxix. 
11. 

Q,. 25. How are the attributes of God commonly 
divided ? 

A. Into incommunicable and communicable. 

Q,. 26. What are the incommunicable attributes of God, 
mentioned in the Answer ? 

A. His infinity, eternity, and uncha ngeableness. 

Q,. 27. Why called incommunicable \ 

A. Because there is not the least resemblance of them to 
be found among the creatures. 

d. 28. What are the attributes that are called com- 
municable ? 

A. They are being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
goodness, and truth. 

Q,. 29. Why called communicable ? 

A. Because there is some faint resemblance or similitude 
of them to be found among the creatures, namely, angels, 
and saints : hence are they proposed in scripture for our 
imitation, Ps. xi. 6 : " The righteous Lord loveth right- 
eousness." — 1 Pet. i. 16. " Be ye holy, for I am holy." 

Q,. 30. Can these communicable attributes be ascribed 
to any creature, as they are in God ] 

A. No: for they are in God, infinitely, eternally, and 
unchangeably ; he is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in 
his being; infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his 
wisdom, and so on of the rest, which would be blasphemy 
to affirm of any creature : hence it is said, Matt. xix. 17, 
" There is none good but one, that is God :" — none infi- 
nitely, eternally, and unchangeably good, but he only. 



OF GOD'S INFINITY. 

Q,. 1. What is it for God to be [infinite ?] 
A. It is to be absolutely without all bounds or limits in 
his being and perfections, Job xi. 7 — 9. 



23 



of god's infinity. 



Q,. 2. What does the infinity of God imply in it ! 
A. His incomprehensibleness, immensity, and omnipre 
sence. 

Q,. 3. What is it for God to be incomprehensible 1 

A. It is infinitely to transcend the most enlarged capa- 
city of men or angels, as to his being and perfections, Ps. 
cxlv. 3. Job xxxvi. 26. 

Q,. 4. What is the immensity of God 1 

A. As it includes his omnipresence, it is that perfection 
of his nature, by which he is every where present with all 
and every one of his creatures ; and infinitely exceeds all 
their limits and boundaries, 1 Kings viii. 27. 

Q,. 5. What is the difference between the omnipresence 
and immensity of God ! 

A. The omnipresence of God is included in his immen- 
sity, and though not separable therefrom, yet may be con- 
ceived as having a respect to created substances, with 
every one of which he is intimately present ; whereas his? 
immensity extends infinitely beyond the boundaries of aD 
created substance, 2 Chron. vi. 8. 

Q,. 6. Is God every where present only as to his know- 
ledge and power ? 

A. He is every where present also as to his essence oi 
being, as is evident from Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. 

Q,. 7. How may this be evinced also from reason 1 

A. Reason teaches us that no creature can subsist by 
itself, without the presence of God to uphold it in its being 
and operation. Acts xvii. 28 : " In him we live, and move, 
and have our being." 

Q,. 8. How is God present with the church here on 
earth 1 

A. He is present, with the church visible, by the ordi- 
nances and symbols of his institution, Ex. xx. 24 ; and 
with the church invisible, or believers, by the inhabitation 
and operation of his Holy Spirit, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. 

Q,. 9. How is he present in heaven 1 

A. By the most bright and immediate displays of his 
glory ; all the inhabitants of the upper sanctuary seeing 
him as he is, and enjoying him without interruption 
for ever, 1 John iii. 2. Ps. xvi. 11. 

Q,. 10. How is he present in helll 

A. In a way of tremendous power and justice, uphold- 
ing the damned in their being, that they may lie under the 
strokes of his vindictive wrath for evermore, Ps. xc. 11. 
Matt. xxv. 46. 

Q,. 11. What may we learn from God's omnipresence] 
A. That no affliction or temptation can befall the saints 
without his knowledge and sympathy, isa. xliii. 2. 



op god's eternity. 



29 



OF GOD'S ETERNITY. 

Q,. 1. What is the difference between time and eternity? 

A. Time has a continual succession, the former time 
passing away, and another succeeding ; but eternity is an 
infinite immutable duration. 

Q,. 2. What is it for God to be {eternal ?] 

A. It is that perfection of his nature, by which he con- 
tinually exists, without any beginning, end, or succes- 
sion of time. 

Q,. 3. How do you prove that God is without beginning ? 

A. From Ps. xc. 2, " Before the mountains were brought 
forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, 
even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God ;" that 
is, since thou didst exist before the mountains were brought 
forth, or before the beginning of time, thou art absolutely 
eternal. 

Q,. 4. How do you prove that God is without end] 
A. From Ps. cii. 12, 27, " Thou, O Lord, shalt endure 
for ever, — and thy years shall have no end;" for that 
which had no beginning of duration, can never have an 
end of it, but must always necessarily exist. 

Q,. 5. How do you prove that he is without succession 
of time? 

A. From Ps. xc. 4, " A thousand years are in thy sight 
but as yesterday when it is past :" and 2 Pet. iii. 8, " One 
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand 
years as one day." He does not only always remain in 
being, but is always the same in that being, Ps. cii. 27. 

€t 6. What is the difference between God's eternity, 
and the eternity of angels and the souls of men ? 

A. God's eternity is essential, absolute, and independent, 
without beginning, as well as without end ; but the eter- 
nity of angels, and of the souls of men, is quite of another 
nature; for, as they had a beginning, so their duration 
admits of a succession, as long as time lasts : and though 
they shall never have an end, yet this eternity of theirs is 
not necessary and essential to their nature, but flows from 
the will and power of God; who, if he pleased, could 
bring them to an end, as well as he gave them a beginning. 

Q. 7. What use should the wicked make of God's eter- 
nity? 

A. It should be matter of the greatest terror to them 
while they continue in their wickedness ; for, in this case, 
God will be their eternal foe, and will punish them with 
everlasting destruction, 2 Thess. i. 9. 

Q,. 8. What use should the godly, or believers in Christ, 
make of it? osb 



30 



of god's unchangeableness. 



A. They should improve it as matter of unspeakable 
comfort ; because their God, being the eternal God, will 
therefore be the strength of their heart, and their portion 
for ever, Ps. lxxiii. 26. 



OF GOD'S UNCHANGEABLENESS. 

Q,. 1. What do you understand by God's being [un- 
changeable ?] 

A. His most perfect constancy, by which he is infinitely 
free from any actual or possible change, and is always the 
same. 

Q,. 2. How is God's unchangeableness proved from 
scripture ! 

A. From Mai. iii. 6, u I am the Lord, I change not ;" and 
James i. 17 — " The Father of lights, with whom is no va- 
riableness, neither shadow of turning." 

Q. 3. How may it be proved from reason 1 

A. Reason teaches, that if God did change, it behoved 
either to be to the better, or to the worse ; neither of which 
is consistent with his absolute perfection, Matt. v. 48. 

Q,. 4. Can any creature be unchangeable in its nature ? 

A. No : because every creature depends upon God for 
being and operation, Acts xvii. 28. 

Q. 5. Are not holy angels, and glorified saints, unchange- 
able 7 

A. They are in a state of unchangeable happiness, Eph. 
i. 10 ; but this is owing to sovereign grace, and not to their 
own natures, Rom. vi. 23. 

Q,. 6. Did creation make any change in God ! 

A. It made a change in the creature, from nothing to 
being; but none in God, because his will and power to 
create were the same from eternity. 

Q,. 7. How is God unchangeable, when he is sometimes 
said in scripture to repent, as in Gen. vi. 6. Jonah iii. 10? 

A. When, in these or the like places, he is said to repent, 
it imports only an alteration of his way, or outward con- 
duct, according to his infallible foresight, but no change 
of his mind or will, Job xxiii. 13. 

Q,. 8. What may we learn from God's unchangeable- 
ness] 

A. That he will accomplish his promise, Micah vii. 20 ; 
rest in his love, Zeph. iii. 17; and finish the good work 
which he has begun in the soul, Phil. i. 6. 
Q,. 9. In what is God infinite, eternal, and unchangeable % 
A. [In his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice* good- 
ness, and truth.] 



of god's wisdom. 



31 



OF GOD'S BEING. 

Q,. 1. What is understood by God's [being?] 

A. It is what is usually called his essence. 

Q,. 2. What is the divine essence I 

A. It is the glorious and transcendent nature of God, by 
which he is infinitely blessed in himself, and comprehended 
by none beside himself. 

Q,. 3. What is the highest perfection of being- ? 

A. That to which nothing can be added, and from w T hich 
nothing can be taken, and which is independent of all 
things else, Job xxxv. 6 — 8. 

Q,. 4. Can being itself, or being in a proper and strict 
sense, be attributed to any, but God only 2 

A. No : for though the heavens and the earth, angels and 
men, have a being ; yet there is no infinite, eternal, and 
unchangeable being, but God only. It is God alone that 
can say, I AM, Ex. hi. 14. 

Q,. 5. What is the import of that name, I AM ] 

A. It is of the same import with the name Jehovah : as 
if he had said, I am being itself, the author and fountain 
of all beings in heaven or earth. 

Q. 6. What are all other beings, in comparison with the 
being of God 1 

A. All other beings are but created, contingent, and 
shadowy beings, if compared with his, who spoke them 
into being, Ps. xxxiii. 6, 9. 

Q. 7. What says God concerning those that are taken 
up with created beings, without ever reflecting upon the 
supreme, infinite, and eternal Being ? 

A. That they are brutish among the people ; fools, des- 
titute of wisdom, Ps. xciv. 8; more brutish than the ox 
that knoweth his owner, Isa. i. 3. 

Q,. 8. Are not all created beings, with their perfections, 
originally in God, and from him 1 

A. Yes ; as is evident from the unanswerable reasoning 
of the Spirit of God, Ps. xciv. 9, 10: — "He that planted 
the ear, shall he not hear 1 He that formed the eye, shall 
he not see 1 — He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not 
he know V 9 

Q,. 9. What may we learn from God's being ? 

A. That as he gave being to all the creatures, so he will 
give being to all his promises, in their full accomplishment, 
Ex. vi. 3. 



OF GOD'S WISDOM. 

Q,. 1. Is not omniscience, or infinite knowledge and un- 
derstanding, inseparably connected with infinite [ivisdom ?\ 



32 



of god's wisdom. 



A. Yes : " For the Lord is a God of knowledge, by him 
actions are weighed," 1 Sam. ii. 3. 

Q,. 2. What is God's omniscience 1 

A. Tt is that perfection of his nature, by which he knows 
all things most perfectly in himself, by one eternal act, 
Acts xv. 18. 

Q,. 3. How do you prove from scripture that he knows 
all things ? 

A. From 1 John hi. 20 : " God is greater than our heart, 
and knoweth all things." 

Q,. 4. How does God's omniscience appear from reason 1 

A. He who made ah things, cannot but know and com- 
prehend his own workmanship, Ps. xciv. 9. 

Q,. 5. How does it appear that he has a perfect know- 
ledge of intelligent creatures ? 

A. If he did not perfectly know them, and their actions, 
he could not be their supreme governor and judge, Heb. 
iv. 13. 

Q,. 6. What is the object of the divine knowledge or 

omniscience ? 

A. God himself, Matt. xi. 27, and all other things what- 
soever, John xxi. 17. 

Q,. 7. How is it evident, that God has a most perfect 
knowledge of himself, and his own glorious excellencies ! 

A. Because otherwise his understanding would not be 
infinite, as it is asserted to be, Ps. cxlvii. 5, in regard all 
other objects, beside himself, are but finite. 

Q,. 8. Is the knowledge of God absolutely independent 
upon the creature 1 

A. It is so independent upon the creature, " as nothing 
is to him contingent or uncertain," Acts xv. 18. Ezek. xi. 5.* 

Q,. 9. How does it appear, that God has a certain and 
infallible knowledge of contingent actions, or of such 
things as seem casual and accidental to us 1 

A. It appears from this, that future events, which depend 
upon the freedom of man's will, or upon second causes, 
are expressly foretold in scripture, and, therefore, certainly 
foreknown by God; such as, Joseph's preferment, and 
Israel's oppression in Egypt ; Ahab's death, though by an 
arrow shot at a venture ; Caesar's decree, that all the world 
should be taxed, bringing about Christ's birth at Beth- 
lehem ; and many other instances. 

Q. 10. How does God know things that are only pos- 
sible ? 

A. He knows them in his power, which could easily 
bring them to pass if he had so decreed, Matt. xix. 26. 

Q,. 11. How does he know things future, or such as ac- 
tually come to pass in time | 



* Confession, chap. ii. $ 2. 



of god's wisdom. 



33 



A. He knows them not only in his power, as able to 
effect them ; but in his will, as determining their futurition, 
or after-existence, Gen. xvii. 21. 

Q,. 12. Is God's knowledge of things general or partic- 
ular] 

A. It is a particular knowledge of every individual crea- 
ture, and every circumstance about it, Ps. cxxxix. 2. Matt. 

x. 29, 30. 

Q,. 13. Is there any succession in his knowledge, or does 
he know one thing before another 1 

A. As there is no succession in his essence, so there is 
none in his knowledge; he knows all things eternally, 
infallibly, and immutably, by one single act of his infinite 
understanding, Heb. iv. 13: "All things are naked and 
opened, unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." 

Q,. 14. What conception may we have of the difference 
between the infinite knowledge and wisdom of God 1 

A. His infinite knowledge comprehends all things in 
heaven and earth, by one intuitive glance of his infinite 
mind ; but his infinite wisdom directs these things to the 
proper ends, for which he gave them their being, Rom. 

xi. 36. 

Q,. 15. How does the wisdom of God appear in the work 
of creation'? 

A. It appears m the excellent order, beauty, and har- 
mony that are to be seen in all parts of the creation, Ps. 
xix. 1 — 7; in the subserviency of one thing to another, 
Hos. ii. 21, 22; the tendency of the whole, to manifest the 
glory of God, Rev. iv. 11; and calculate also for the good 
of man as his peculiar favourite, Ps. cxv. 16. 

Q,. 16. How does the wisdom of God appear in the 
works of providence ] 

A. In adjusting the whole of his administrations accord- 
ing to the plan laid in his infinite mind from eternity ; or 
his most judicious and regular putting his counsels into 
execution, Ps. xxxiii. 10, 11. 

Q,. 17. How does the wisdom of God shine in the work 
of redemption'? 

A. In making an honourable egress and vent for his 
mercy and love to sinners of mankind, in the way of sat- 
isfying his justice to the full, by the obedience and death 
of the blessed Surety, Rom. v. 21. 

Q. 18. What encouragement ought we to take from the 
wisdom of God 1 

A. That he will make all things work together for our 
good, Rom. viii. 28 ; and that no plot can be so deeply laid 
for our ruin, but his wisdom can easily frustrate and dis- 
appoint, Job v. 13. 



34 



of god's power. 



OF GOD'S POWER. 

Q. 1. What is the [power] of God] 

A. It is that essential perfection of his nature, by which 
he can do whatsoever he pleases, in heaven and earth, in 
the seas, and all deep places, Ps. cxxxv. 6. 

Q,. 2. What is the object of divine power, or to what 
does it extend ! 

A. To all things possible, though limited, by his will, to 
those things only which he has decreed to be done, Matt, 
xxvi. 53, 54. 

Q,. 3. Is it any impeachment of God's omnipotence, that 
he cannot lie, cannot deny himself] 

A. By no means ; for, on the contrary, God is therefore 
omnipotent, because it is impossible for him to do evil or 
depart from the infinite rectitude of his own will, 1 Sam. 
xv. 29 : " The strength of Israel will not lie." 

Q. 4. In what does God manifest his infinite power ] 
A. In creation, providence, and redemption. 
Q. 5. How is the power of God manifested in creation] 
A. In calling " those things that be not as though they 
were," Rom. iv. 7 ; without the assistance or instrumen- 
tality of any whosoever, Isa. xliv. 24. 

Q,. 6. How is it displayed in the conduct of providence ] 
A. In upholding and preserving all his creatures from 
sinking into their original nothing, Heb. i. 3 ; and, partic- 
ularly, in protecting and defending his church, in midst of 
all the dangers and enemies, with which it is surrounded, 
Matt. xvi. 18. 

Q, 7. How is the power of God illustrated in the glori- 
ous work of redemption ] 

A. By laying the chief corner-stone thereof, in the union 
of the human nature to the person of the Son of God ; 
supporting him under the inconceivable load of divine 
wrath, for our sins, and spoiling principalities and powers 
in that very nature which Satan had vanquished at first ; 
hence he is called " the power of God," 1 Cor. i. 24 ; " the 
arm of the Lord," Isa. liii. 1; and "the man of his right 
hand," Ps. lxxx. 17. 

Q,. 8. How is the power of God denied or abused by 
men] 

A. By limiting it, as Israel did, Ps. Ixxviii. 19 ; by trust- 
ing more to an arm of flesh, than to the arm of God, Jer. 
xvii. 5 ; and by fearing the wrath of man more than the 
displeasure of God, Isa. li. 12, 13. 

Q,. 9, What improvement may faith make of the power 
of a promising God T 

A. It can fasten upon it, for the performance of his gra- 
cious word, Rom. iv. 20, 21; for resisting and conquering 



of god's holiness. 



35 



sin, Satan, and the world, saying, " If God be for us, who 
can be against us 7" Rom. viii. 31; and for the practice of 
any commanded duty, however difficult, saying, " I can 
do all things through Christ who strengthened me," Phil, 
iv. 13. 

OF GOD'S HOLINESS. 

Q,. L What is the [holiness] of God? 

A. It is that essential rectitude or integrity of his nature, 
by which he infinitely delights in his own purity, and in 
every thing agreeable to his will, Hab. i. 13; and has a 
perfect hatred and abhorrence of every thing contrary to 
it, Jer. xliv. 4. 

Q,. 2. Is God necessarily holy ! 

A. Holiness is as necessary to him as his being : he is 
as necessarily holy, as he is necessarily God : "Who shall 
not fear thee, O Lord 1 — for thou only art holy," Rev. xv. 4. 

Q,. 3. What peculiar honour does God put upon his own 
holiness 1 

A. He singles it out as the attribute to swear by, for the 
accomplishment of his promises and threatenings, Ps. 
lxxxix. 35 : " Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I 
will not lie unto David." 

Q,. 4. Are finite creatures able to behold the brightness 
of God's holiness ? 

A. No : for when the angels themselves view his infinite 
holiness, as manifested in Christ, they are represented as 
covering their faces with their wings, Isa. vi. 2. 

Q,. 5. How are sinners of mankind made partakers of 
his holiness ! 

A. By regenerating grace, and spiritual ingraftment into 
the second Adam, John xv. 4, 5 ; by faith's improvement 
of the great and precious promises, 2 Pet. i. 4 ; and by 
beholding the glory of this attribute, as it shines in the 
person and sufferings of the Son of God, presented to our 
view in the glass of the gospel revelation, 2 Cor. v. 21. 

Q,. 6. Does every thing pertaining to God, bear the 
stamp and impress of his holiness 1 

A. Yes: he is holy in all his works, Ps. cxlv. 17; his 
word is holy, Rom. i. 2 ; his covenant or promise is holy, 
Ps. cv. 42 ; his Sabbath is holy, Isa. Iviii. 13 ; his people are 
holy, chap. lxii. 12; his ministering spirits are the holy 
angels, Rev. xiv. 10; and the place where he dwells, is 
the high and holy place, Isa. lvii. 15. 

Q,. 7. In what did the holiness of God appear in the crea- 
tion of man 1 

A. In making him upright, Eccl. vii. 29, after his own 
image, Gen. i. 27; and writing a law upon his heart, which 
was the transcript of his holiness, Rom. vii. 12. 



36 



of god's justice. 



8. How has God discovered his holiness in his provi- 
dential procedure ! 

A. In not sparing the angels who sinned; and in the 
visible and remarkable judgments, which he has inflicted 
upon notorious offenders in this life, 2 Pet. ii. 4 — 6. 

Q,. 9. What was the highest display of God's holiness, 
and detestation of sin ! 

A. His hiding his face from his own beloved Son, as 
bearing our iniquity, Matt, xxvii. 46. 

Q,. 10. What is the greatest opposite of the holiness of 
God? 

A. Sin: therefore called that abominable thing which 
God hates, Jer. xliv. 4. 

Q,. 1 1. How does God hate sin? 

A. He hates it necessarily, and with a "perfect hatred," 
p s . v. 4—6. 

Q,. 12. Since God thus hates sin, how does his permis- 
sion of it consist with his holiness ! 

A. It fully consists with it, because his permission of sin 
has no influence upon the commission of it, which entirely 
flows from the free will of the sinner, James i. 13, 14. Be- 
sides, God thereby takes occasion to give a brighter display 
of his holiness and detestation of sin, than though Adam 
had continued in innocence ; when he spared not his own 
Son, but gave him unto death on account of it, Rom. 
via 32. 

Q,. 13. What improvement ought we to make of the 
holiness of God ! 

A. To "give thanks at the remembrance of his holi- 
ness," Ps. xxx. 4; to proclaim the glory of it, Ex. xv. 11; 
and to study holiness in all manner of conversation, 1 
Pet. i. 15. 

Q,. 14. How may we know if we have suitable im- 
pressions of God's holiness 3 

A. If we stand in awe to offend him, Gen. xxxix. 9; 
and have an habitual desire after more conformity to him, 
1 John hi. 3. 



OF GOD'S JUSTICE. 

Q. 1. What is the [justice] of God? 

A. It is that essential attribute of his nature, by which 
he is infinitely righteous and equal in himself, and in all 
his ways towards his creatures, Deut. xxxii. 4. 

Q,. 2. How may the justice of God be considered ! 

A. Either as it relates to himself, or to rational creatures. 

Q. 3. What is God's justice as it relates to himself? 

A. It is his making his own glory the fixed and invari- 
able rule of the whofe of his procedure, Isa. xlii. 8. 



of god's justice. 



37 



Q,. 4. What is God's justice in relation to rational crea- 
tures 1 

A. It is his righteous government of them, according to 
their nature, and the law he has given them, Rom. ii. 12, 
14, 15. 

Q,. 5. How is it usually distinguished 1 

A. Into legislative and distributive justice. 

Q,. 6. What is legislative justice i 

A. It is his giving most holy, just, and good laws to 
rational creatures, commanding and forbidding them, what 
is fit for them to do, or forbear, Isa. xxxiii. 22. 

Q,. 7. Has man a power to give obedience to these laws ] 
A. He once had power, but by the fall has lost it, Rom. 
iii. 23. 

Q,. 8. How does it consist with the justice of God to 
demand that obedience, which man has not power to give 7 

A. God cannot lose his right to demand obedience to 
his laws, though man has lost his power to give it ; espe- 
cially as man's inability was contracted by his own volun- 
tary apostasy and rebellion, Eccl. vii. 29 : " Lo, this only 
have I found, that God hath made man upright ; but they 
have sought out many indentions." 

Q,. 9. What is God's distributive justice? 

A. It is his constant will, to render to rational creatures 
their due, according to law, without respect to persons, 
Job xxxiv. 11. 1 Pet. i. 17. 

Q,. 10. What are the laws according to which God will 
distribute justice among men ? 

A. They are two : the law of works, and the law of 'faith. 

Q,. 11. Where are they mentioned] 

A. In Rom. iii. 27: " Where is boasting, then 1 It is ex- 
cluded. By what law 1 of works 1 Nay : but by the law of 
faith." 

Q. 12. What is understood by the law of works, and the 
law of faith 1 

A. By the law of works, is understood the covenant of 
works ; and by the law of faith, the covenant of grace. 

Q,. 13. What is due to the sinner, in justice, according to 
the law of works 1 

A. Death and the curse; which include all wo and 
misery, in time, and through eternity, Rom. vi. 23. Gal. 
iii. 10. 

Q. 14. What is the sinner's due according to the law of 
faith 1 

A. Acquittance and acceptance, on account of the 
surety-righteousness imputed, to him, and apprehended 
by faith, Rom. iii. 24, and viii. L 

Q. 15. Is God just in dealing thus with the ungodly sin- 
ner, who believes in Christ I 

A. Yes : his righteousness is declared in so doing, Rom. 

Part I. — 4 



33 



of god's justice. 



iii. 25, 26 : " Whom God hath set forth for a propitiation, 
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, — 
that he might be just, and the justifier of him" who believeth 
in Jesus."" 

Q,. 16. Does God reward the sincere, though imperfect 
obedience of his people to the law, as a rule of life] 

A. In keeping of his commandments there is indeed 
great reward, Ps. xix. 11; but then this reward is entirely 
of free grace, and not of debt, Rom. iv. 4, 5 : it is not on ac- 
count of any worth in their obedience, Ps. cxv. 1; but only 
on account of what Christ has merited, by his obedience 
to the death, 1 Pet. ii. 5. 

Q.. 17. How is this kind of justice called] 

A. Remunerative or rewarding justice, Ps. Iviii. 11: 
" Verily, there is a reward for the righteous." 

Q,. 18. Is not God's taking vengeance on transgressors, 
a righteous act of justice ? 

A. Yes ; for " every transgression and disobedience re- 
ceives a just recompense of reward," Heb. ii, 2. " It is a 
righteous thing to recompense tribulation to them that 
trouble you," 2 Thess. i. 6. Hence says the same apostle, 
Rom. iii. 5, 6, — "Is God unrighteous who taketh ven- 
geance] God forbid: for then how shall God judge the 
world ]" 

Q. 19. How is this justice of God called] 

A. Vindictive or punishing justice, Acts xxviii. 4. 

Q,. 20. What is vindictive justice ? 

A. It is God's inflicting the punishment upon sin, which 
is threatened in the law, Gen. ii. 17, Ezek. xviii. 4. 

Q, 21. Could God, of his own free will, have pardoned 
sin without a satisfaction to his justice ] 

A. No : for he has declared, " that in forgiving iniquity, 
transgression and sin," he " will by no means clear the 
guilty ;" namely, without a satisfaction, Ex. xxxiv. 7. 

Q,. 22. How do you prove, that vindictive, or punishing 
justice, is essential to God ] 

A. From the infinite holiness of God, who cannot but 
hate, and consequently punish sin, Hab. i. 12, 13 ; from his 
faithfulness in the threatening, Gen. ii. 17; Ps. xcv. 11; 
from the remarkable judgments that have been inflicted 
on sinners in this life, Jude, verse 5, 7; and from the suffer- 
ings and death of God's only begotten Son, whom he 
would surely have spared, if there had. been any other 
possible way of pardoning sin, but through his satisfaction, 
Matt. xxvi. 42. 2 Cor. v!"21. 

Q,. 23. What improvement ought we to make of the 
justice of God, as glorified by the satisfactory death of 
his own Son] 

A. To plead the perfect and full satisfaction of it by the 
Surety, as the honourable channel, in which we expect all 



of god's goodness. 



39 



mercy and grace to flow plentifully to us, as the Psalmist 
did, Ps. xxv. 11: "For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon 
mine iniquity, for it is great." 



OF GOD'S GOODNESS. 

Q,. 1. What is the [goodness] of God? 

A. It is that essential property of his nature, by which 
he is infinitely good in himself, and the author and foun- 
tain of all good to others, Ps. cxix. 68. 

Q,. 2. How may the goodness of God be distinguished ! 

A. Into his absolute and relative goodness. 

Q,. 3. What is his absolute goodness 1 

A. It is the essential goodness of his nature, without 
considering it in relation to the creatures, Matt. xix. 17 : 
" There is none good but one, that is, God." 

Q,. 4. What is his relative goodness ? 

A. It is the relation that his goodness bears to the crea- 
tures; both in the propensity of his nature to do them 
good, Ex. xxxiii. 19, and in the actual manifestation and 
communication of the blessings of his bounty to them, in 
creation, providence, and redemption, chap, xxxiv. 
6,7. 

Q,. 5. How is the goodness of God manifested in the 
work of creation in general 1 

A. In giving being to his creatures, when he stood in no 
need of them, being infinitely happy in himself, though no 
creature had ever been made, Ps. xvi. 2 ; and in making 
all things very good, Gen. i. 31. 

Q,. 6. How is the goodness of God displayed in the 
creation of man in particular ] 

A. In making him after his own image ; furnishing the 
world with such a variety of creatures for his use ; giving 
him dominion over them, Gen. i. 27, 28 ; and in entering 
into covenant with him, chap. ii. 16, 17. 

Q,. 7. How is the goodness of God manifested in his 
providence ] 

A. In preserving his creatures, and making bountiful 
provision for them, Ps. cxlv. 9, 15, 16. 

Q,. 8. How is this goodness distinguished] 

A. Into common and special goodness. 

Q. 9. What is his common goodness 1 

A. His dispensing the good things of this life, promiscu- 
ously among his creatures, Matt. v. 45 : " He maketh his 
sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain 
on the just and on the unjust." 

Q,. 10. Is God good even to the wicked who are his 
enemies ! 

A. Yes ; for he not only provides for them, " filling their 



40 



of god's goodness. 



hearts with food and gladness, 1 ' Acts xiv. 17; but exer- 
cises long-suffering patience towards them, Neh. ix. 17; 
and affords such of them as are within the visible church, 
the means of salvation, Acts xiii. 26. 

Q,. 1 1. What is the special goodness of God ! 

A. It is his distinguishing love to a certain number of 
mankind lost, manifested in their redemption through 
Christ, Rev. v. 9. 

Q,. 12. In what does the goodness of God appear in the 
work of redemption 1 

A. Both in the contrivance and execution of it. 

Q,. 13. How does the goodness of God appear in the 
contrivance of redemption 7 

A. In remembering us in our low state, Ps. cxxxvi. 23 ; 
laying our help on his own Son, the mighty One, Ps. 
lxxxix. 19 ; and in setting him up as a new covenant head 
from everlasting, Prov. viii. 23. 

Q,. 14. How does it appear in the execution of our 
redemption] 

A. In sending his Son to assume our nature, and thus 
to fulfil all righteousness for us, John iii. 16, Jer. xxiii. 6 ; 
and on the foundation of that righteousness, giving us 
grace and glory, and every good thing, from a cup of cold 
water, to a seat with him on his throne, Ps. lxxxiv. 11. 
Rev. iii. 21. 

Q,. 15. What are the streams in which the special good- 
ness of God flows out 1 

A. In the streams of love, grace and mercy, according 
to his name, Ex. xxxiv. 6, — ** the Lord, the Lord God, 
merciful and gracious," &c. 

Q,. 16. What is the difference between the love, grace, 
and mercy of God 1 

A. They are much the same, only love considers the 
sinner simply as God's creature ; grace views him as ill- 
deserving ; and mercy, through a satisfaction, respects 
him as in misery. 

Q,. 17. Who are the objects of God's special good- 
ness] 

A. His chosen ones, Ps. cvi. 4, 5 : " O visit me with thy 
salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen." 

Q. 18. Can this special goodness of God be expressed 
in words? 

A. No ; for " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God 
hath prepared for them that love him," 1 Cor. ii. 9. And 
Ps. xxxi. 19. " O ! how great is thy goodness, which thou 
nast laid up for them that fear thee." 

Q,. 19. Where is this goodness of God laid up ? 

A. It is laid up in Christ, who has received the gifts of 
God's goodness for men, Ps. lxviii. 18 : " When he ascend- 



of god's truth. 



41 



ed up on high, he — gave gifts unto men," Eph. iv. 8 ; and 
therefore, God has made him most blessed for ever, Ps. 
xxi. 6. 

Q,. 20. How is this goodness laid out and brought near 
to us J 

A. It is laid out in the exceeding great and precious 
promises, 2 Pet. i. 4 ; and brought near in the full, free, 
and unhampered offer of the gospel, Mark xvi. 15. 

Q,. 21. How are we savingly interested in all this good- 
ness ) 

A. By faith, receiving and resting upon Christ alone for 
salvation, as he is freely offered in the gospel, John i. 12. 
1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. 

Q,. 22. What are the properties of this goodness ? 

A. It is seasonable goodness, Heb. iv. 16; it is soul- 
satisfying, Ps. cvii. 9 ; and it is immutable and everlast- 
ing, Ps. Iii. 1. 

Q,. 23. What improvement ought we to make of the 
goodness of God? 

A. W e ought to " praise the Lord for his goodness, and 
for his wonderful works to the children of men," Ps. cvii. 
8 ; to be influenced to repentance from the consideration 
of his goodness, Rom. ii. 4 ; and to imitate God in it, Heb. 
xiii. 16. 



OF GOD'S TRUTH. 
Q. 1. What is the [truth] of God? 

A. It is that essential perfection of his nature, by which 
he cannot but fulfil and accomplish whatever he has 
spoken ; or do as he has said, Num. xxiii. 19. 

Q,. 2. What is it that this perfection of God has a special 
relation to 1 

A. To the revelation of his will in his word : hence the 
whole scripture is infallible truth ; " one jot, or one tittle, 
shall in no wise pass therefrom, till all be fulfilled," Matt, 
v. 18. For, " the word of the Lord endureth for ever," 1 
Pet. i. 25. 

Q,. 3. What is God's truth, as respecting his word, com- 
monly called 1 

A. His faithfulness, or veracity, Heb. x. 23 : " He is 
faithful that promised." 

Q,. 4. To what is the truth or faithfulness of God op- 
posed ? 

A. To all change of mind, Job xxiii. 13 : " He is in one 
mind, and who can turn him V and to all lying and dis- 
simulation, Heb. vi. 18 : " It is impossible for God to lie." 

Q,. 5. Can there be any inconsistency in his words \ 
4* 



42 



of god's truth. 



A. No : for truth always hangs with itself, and he " keep- 
eth truth for ever," Ps. cxlvi. 6. 

Q,. 6. Can he possibly forget what he has said 1 

A. No, surely ; for " he will ever be mindful of his cove- 
nant," Ps. cxi. 5. 

Q,. 7. In what is the truth or faithfulness of God mani- 
fested ? 

A. In the exact accomplishment of his promises, Josh, 
xxiii. 14; and the certain execution of his threatenings, 
Zech. i. 6. 

Q,. 8. How do we give God the honour of his truth and 
faithfulness ! 

A. By faith, which sets to the seal that God is true, John 
iii. 33 ; and judges him faithful who hath promised, Heb. 
xi. 11. 

Q,. 9. By what sin is this attribute of God most dishon- 
oured 1 

A. By the sin of unbelief, which makes God a liar, be- 
cause it believes not "the record that God gave of his 
Son," 1 John v. 10. 

Q,. 10. What record does God give of his Son 1 

A. " This is the record, that God hath given to us eter- 
nal life, and this life is in his Son," 1 John v. 11. 

Q,. 11. To whom is this record given? 

A. To all the hearers of the gospel, as a ground of faith : 
Mark xvi. 15: " Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
gospel to every creature :" Acts ii. 39 : " The promise is 
unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, 
even as many as the Lord our God shall call." 

Q,. 12. How does it appear that this record is given as a 
ground of faith, to all the hearers of the gospel 1 

A. If it were not so, it were impossible that unbelievers, 
under the gospel, could make God a liar ; for if they have 
no concern in this record, and are not bound to believe it 
with application to themselves, their rejecting of it could 
not be their sin ; because " where no law is, there is no 
transgression," Rom. iv. 15. 

Q. 13. If the record, or promise of the God of truth, be 
made to every one of the hearers of the gospel, is he not, 
in that case, obliged to fulfil it to every one ! 

A. By no means : because the unbeliever wilfully rejects 
the promise, and will have no benefit by it, Ps. lxxxi. 
10—13. 

Q,. 14. By what example, in scripture, may this be illus- 
trated] 

A. By the example of the promise of Canaan, made in- 
definitely to all Israel who came out of Egypt, Ex. vi. 6, 
8 ; yet many of them " could not enter in because of un- 
belief," Heb. iii. 19: even so, the promise of eternal life is 
made to all the hearers of the gospel ; yet many of them 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



43 



come short of it, because " the word preached doth not 
profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that hear 
it," Heb. iv. 1, 2. 

Q,. 15. What then is the deplorable case of unbelievers 
under the gospel] 

A. They are condemned already, and " the wrath of 
God abideth on them," John iii. 18, 36. 

Q,. 16. What improvement ought we to make of the 
truth and faithfulness of God ] 

A. We ought to choose the way of truth, Ps. cxix. 30 ; 
walk in it, 3 John, ver. 4 ; bear witness for it before the 
world, Heb. x. 23 ; praise God for his truth, Ps. cxxxviii. 
2 ; and trust him on his word, without staggering at the 
promise through unbelief, Rom. iv. 20. 



Quest. 5. Are there more Gods than one ? 

Ans. There is but one only, the living and true God. 

Q,. 1. How does it appear from scripture, that there is 
but [one] God [only *] 

A. From Deut. vi. 4 : "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God 
is one Lord :" Isa. xlv. 22 : "I am God, and there is none 
else." 

Q. 2. How does reason demonstrate this truth, that 
there is but one God 1 

A. Reason says, that there is but one first cause and 
ultimate end of all things : and that there cannot be two, 
or more, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable beings. 

Q,. 3. Why is God's omnipotence commonly adduced to 
prove, that he can be but one only ? 

A. Because he could not be omnipotent, or almighty, if 
any other could oppose or resist him, Job ix. 12. 

Q,. 4. How may it be proved from his government of 
the world 1 

A. There could not be a uniform governing of all things 
in the world, to one certain end, if the infinitely wise Gover- 
nor, who is at the helm, were not one only. 

Q,. 5. How are some of the divine perfections expressed 
in scripture, for proving the unity of the essence 2 

A. They are expressed in the abstract; for instance, 
God is said to be " light," 1 John i. 5 ; to be " love," ch. iv. 
8 ; to be " strength," 1 Sam. xv. 29 ; all which, and the like 
abstract properties, plainly denote that God is one only. 

Q,. 6. Is God compounded of the several perfections of 
his nature, as the Socinians speak ! 

A. By no means : for all the several attributes of God 
are only the one infinite perfection of his most simple and 



44 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



uncompoimded nature ; which infinite perfection, because 
of our weakness, is described by parts, according to the 
several objects about which it is conversant. 

Q,. 7. Is the vast variety of the divine decrees any argu- 
ment against the divine unity ? 

A. No : because the decrees are various only with re- 
spect to the different objects and effects to which they ex- 
tend, but not with respect to the act of the divine will, 
which is but one. 

Q,. 8. Are there not several in scripture who are called 
gods ? 

A. Yes : angels, magistrates, and the idols of the heathen 
nations. 

Q,. 9. Why are angels called gods 1 Ps. xcvii. 7. 

A. Because of the excellency of their nature, power, and 
wisdom, Ps. ciii. 20. 

Q. 10. Why are magistrates so called ? Ex. xxii. 28. 

A. Because they are God's deputies for government and 
justice among men, Rom. xiii. 4. 

Q,. 11. Why are the idols of the heathen nations called 
gods? 1 Chron. v. 25. 

A. Because ignorant and brutish persons have honoured 
them as such ; but there is no reason at all to be " afraid 
of them, for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them 
to do good," Jer. x. 5. 

Q,. 12. Why is Satan called the god of this world? 2 Cor. 

iv. 4. 

A. Because he reigns and rules over the greatest part 
of the world, as his servants and slaves ; for he is "the 
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience," 
Eph. ii. 2. 

Q,. 13. Why are covetous men called idolaters? Eph. 

v. 4. 

A. Because the world has that room in their heart which 
God should have. 

Q,. 14. What may we learn from God's being one only ? 

A. To beware of mistaken notions of him, as if he were 
partly in heaven and partly on earth ; for he is so much 
one, that he is wholly every where present, Jer. xxiii. 24. 

Q,. 15. Why is this one only God said to be the [living] 
God? 

A. Because he has life essentially in himself, John v. 26 ; 
and is the author and giver of that life that is in any living 
creature, Acts xvii. 28 ; and likewise in opposition to dead 
and dumb idols, Ps. cxv. 4 — 7. 

Q, 16. Why is he called the [true] God ? 

A. In opposition to all false and imaginary gods, Jer. x. 
10, 11. 

Q,. 37. Why are living and true put together in the 
answer ? 



OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 



45 



A. Because they are inseparably conjoined in the in- 
finitely perfect nature of God. He who is the living God 
is the only true God; and the true God, the only living 
God, 1 Thess. i. 9. 

Q,. 18. What may we learn from his being the living 
God] 

A. To present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accep- 
table to God, which is our reasonable service, Rom. xii. 1. 

Q,. 19. What may we learn from his being the only true 
God? 

A. To worship him in spirit and in truth, John iv. 24, 
because he desires truth in the inward parts, Ps. li. 6 ; and 
likewise to beware of setting up an idol, or regarding any 
iniquity in our hearts ; otherwise he will not hear us, Ps. 
lxvi. 18. 



Quest. 6. How many persons are there in the God- 
head? 

Ans. There are three persons in the Godhead, the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three 
are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and 
glory. 

Q,, 1. Whence is it, that this article of our holy religion 
has been so much opposed by adversaries, in every period 
of the church ] 

A. The devil and his instruments have warmly opposed 
it because they know it is the primary object of our faith 
and worship ; it not being enough for us to know what 
God is, as to his essential attributes, without knowing 
who he is, as to his personality, according as he has re- 
vealed himself in his word, to be Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, 1 John ii. 23, — " Whosoever denieth the Son, the 
same hath not the Father." 

Q,. 2. Is this doctrine of the Trinity, then, a fundamental 
article, upon the belief of which our salvation depends] 

A. Beyond all doubt it is : because without the know- 
ledge and belief of the Trinity of persons, we would re- 
main ignorant of the love of the Father, the merit of the 
Son, and the sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost, in 
the purchase and application of redemption; without 
which there could be no salvation, John xvii. 3, — " This is 
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." 

Q. 3. Can the Trinity of persons be proved from the 
Old Testament 1 



46 



OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 



A. Yes: not only from the history of man's creation, 
where God speaks of himself in the plural number, " Let 
us make man," Gen. i. 26; but likewise from such pass- 
ages, as expressly restrict this plurality to three persons ; 
such as, Ps. xxxiii. 6, — " By the word of the Lord, or Je- 
hovah, were the heavens made ; and all the host of them 
by the breath, or spirit, of his mouth ;" where there is 
mention made of Jehovah, the Word, and the Spirit, as 
concurring in the creation of all things : accordingly, we 
are told that all things were made by the Word, John i. 3 ; 
and that the Spirit garnished the heavens, Job xxvi. 13. 
The same truth is also evident from Isa lxiii. 7, 9, 10; 
where we read of the loving-kindness of Jehovah ; of the 
Angel of his presence saving them ; and of their vexing 
his Holy Spirit. A plain discovery of a Trinity of persons. 

Q,. 4. What is the meaning of the word Trinity, so 
commonly used in expressing this doctrine 1 

A. It signifies the same with Tri-unity, or three in one ; 
that is, three distinct persons, in one and the same indi- 
vidual or numerical* essence, 1 John v. 7. 

Q,. 5. Is not a Trinity of persons, in the divine Essence, 
an unsearchable mystery 1 ? 

A. Yes; and so is every perfection of God, which in- 
finitely transcends our thoughts, and finite capacities, Col. 
ii. 2. Job xi. 6, 7. 

Q. 6. Is it not unreasonable to require a belief of what 
we cannot understand 1 

A. It is not at all unreasonable in matters that are en- 
tirely supernatural ; but, on the contrary, it is the highest 
reason we should believe what God says of himself, and 
of the manner of his own subsistence, John xx. 31: be- 
sides, it is the peculiar office of faith to subject our reason 
to divine revelation, Heb. xi. 1. 

Q. 7. How has God revealed this mystery in his word 1 

A. He has in it told us, that " there are three that bear 
record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy 
Ghost ; and these three are one," 1 John v. 7. Or, as our 
Confession expresses it, " In the unity of the Godhead there 
be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity ; 
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost," 
Matt. iii. 16, 17; and xxviii. 19. 2 Cor. xiii. 14.f 

Q,. 8. What is meant by the word [Godhead?] 

A. The divine nature or essence ; Rom. i. 20, compared 
with Gal. iv. 8. 

Q. 9. What is meant by a [person] in the [Godhead?] 

A. A complete, intelligent, and individual subsistence, 
which is neither a part of, nor sustained by any other; 



* That is, particular. 



t Chap. ii. $ 3. 



OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 



47 



but is distinguished by an incommunicable property in the 
same undivided essence. 

Q. 10. Has each person then a distinct nature, or essence 
of his own 7 

A. No : but the same divine nature, or essence, is com- 
mon to all the three glorious persons, 1 John v. 7, — " These 
three are one ;" not only united in will and affection, but 
in one and the same common nature, or essence : it being 
the transcendent and incommunicable property of the 
divine nature, to reside in more persons than one. 

Q,. 11. What was the heresy of the Sabellians, and 
Tritheists, in opposition to this fundamental doctrine of 
the Trinity 1 

A. The Sabellians maintained that there is but one per- 
son in the Trinity under three different names ; the Tri- 
theists, that the three persons are three Gods. 

Q,. 12. Is the word Person, as applied to this mystery, 
made use of in scripture ? 

A. Yes ; for the Son is said to be the " express image 
of the Father's person," Heb. i. 3. 

Q,. 13. How do you prove that there are [three persons] 
in the Godhead ? 

A. From the institution of baptism, Matt, xxviii. 19 ; 
from the apostolical blessing, 2 Cor. xiii. 14 ; from John's 
salutation to the seven churches, Rev. i. 4. 5; and from the 
baptism of Christ, Matt. iii. 16, 17 ; where the Father is 
manifested by a voice from heaven ; the Son, by his bodily 
appearance on earth ; and the Holy Ghost, by his lighting 
on him in the shape of a dove. 

Q,. 14. How is it farther evident that they are three dis- 
tinct persons 1 

A. From the distinct capacities in which they are repre- 
sented to act ; for, in the work of redemption, we find in 
scripture, the Father " ordaining," the Son " purchasing," 
and the Holy Ghost " applying it," 1 Pet. i. 2. 

Q. 15. How are the persons in the Godhead distinguish- 
ed from each other ] 

A. By their personal properties, which are incommuni- 
cable to each other. 

Q. 16. What is the personal property of the Father] 

A. To beget the Son, and that from all eternity, Ps. 
ii. 7. 

Q,. 17. What is the personal property of the Son 1 

A. To be eternally begotten of the Father, John i. 14, — 

" W e beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten 

of the Father." 
Q. 18. What is the personal property of the Holy 

Ghost! 

A. To proceed eternally from the Father and the Son ; 
John xv. 26 : " When the Comforter is come, whom I will 



48 



OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 



send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, 
which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of 
me." 

Q, 19. How does it appear that the Holy Ghost proceeds 
from the Son, as well as from the Father, when it is 
not expressly affirmed that he does so, in the above 
text? 

A. Because he is called " the Spirit of the Son," Gal. iv. 
6 ; " the Spirit of Christ," Rom. viii. 9 ; the Spirit is said to 
receive all things from Christ, John xvi. 14, 15; to be sent 
by him, John xv. 26; and the Father is said to send him 
in Christ's name, John xiv. 26 ; from all which, it may be 
safely gathered, that he proceeds from the Son, as well as 
from the Father. 

Q,. 20. What is the difference between a personal and 
an essential property 1 

A. A personal property is peculiar to one of the persons 
only, but an essential property is common to them 
all. 

Q,. 21. Why are the personal properties called incom- 
municable. 

A. Because each of them is so proper to one of the per- 
sons in the Trinity, that it cannot be affirmed of any of the 
other two. 

Q. 22. Is it the divine essence that begets, is begotten, 

or proceeds 1 

A. No : for these are not essential, but personal acts. 
It is the Father who begets the Son ; the Son who is be- 
gotten of the Father ; and the Holy Ghost, who proceeds 
from both. . 

Q,. 23. Are the terms necessary existence, supreme Deity, 
and the title of the only true God, essential or personal 

properties ? 

A. They are essential properties of the divine nature, 
and so common to all the persons of the adorable Trinity, 
who have all the same essence, wholly, equally, and 
eternally. 

Q,. 24. May the above terms be taken, or are they, by 
sound authors, taken in a sense that includes the personal 
property of the Father, and so not belonging to the Son 
and Holy Ghost 1 

A. They may not be, and never are, by sound authors, 
taken in that sense ; for this would be to make the Son 
and Holy Ghost, inferior to, and dependent upon, the Fa- 
ther, for being or existence, which is the very soul of 
Arianism. 

Q,. 25. Does not the Father, being called the first ; the 
Son, the second ; and the Holy Ghost, the third person in 
the Godhead, imply an inequality, or preference of one 
person to another ? 



OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 



49 



A. These are only terms of mere order, and imply no 
preference or priority, cither of nature, excellency, or 
duration ; and therefore we find in scripture, that some- 
times the Son is named before the Father, as in 2 Cor. xiii. 
14, Gal. i. 1 ; and sometimes the Spirit before the Son, as 
in Rev. i. 4, 5. 

Q,. 26. Is not each of these glorious persons truly and 
properly God ? 

A. Each of these persons is God, in the true and proper 
sense of the word ; though none of them can be called the 
Deity, exclusively of the rest, in regard the Deity, being 
the same with the divine nature, or essence, is common to 
them all. 

Q,. 27. But does not our Lord say, that the Father is the 
" only true God," John xvii. 3 : " This is life eternal, that 
they might know thee the only true God 7" 

A. Our Lord does not say, that the Father only, is the 
true God, exclusive of the other persons of the Trinity ; 
but that He is the only true God "(as each of the other per- 
sons is) in opposition to idols, or gods falsely so called. 

&. 28. How does it appear that the [Father] is God ? 

A. From his being expressly so called every where in 
scripture : particularly, 1 Cor. viii. 6 ; and xv. 24. Gal. i. 
1, 3, &c. 

Q. 29. Is it proper to say, that the Father is the fountain 
of the Deity ? 

A. The expression is dangerous, and now used by ad- 
versaries in an unsound sense, to exclude self-existence 
and independency from the Son and Holy Ghost, and 
therefore is to be avoided. 

Q,. 30. How does it appear from scripture, that Christ, 
the [Son,] is truly and properly the supreme God, equal 
with the Father ? 

A. From the same names, attributes, works, and wor- 
ship being ascribed to him in scripture as are ascribed to 
the Father, and in as full and ample a sense.* 

Q,. 31. What are the names ascribed to Christ, that prove 
him to be equal with the Father ? 

A. He is expressly called " God," John i. 1; "the great 
God," Tit. ii. 13; "the mighty God," Isa. ix. 6; "the true 
God," 1 John v. 20; "the only wise God," Jude ver. 25; 
and Jehovah, which is a name never ascribed to any, in 
scripture, but the living and true God, Jer. xxiii. 6. Ps. 
lxxxiii. 18. 

Q,. 32. What are the divine attributes ascribed to Christ, 
that prove him to be the supreme God] 

A. Eternity, in the strict and proper sense of the word, 
Mic. v. 2; unchangeableness, Heb. xiii. 8; omniscience, 

* Larger Catechism, Q.ll. 

Part I.— 5 



50 



OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 



John xxi. 17; omnipotence, for he calls himself "the Al- 
mighty," Rev 7 , i. 8 ; omnipresence ; " Lo," says he, " I am 
with you always, even unto the end of the world," Matt, 
xxviii. 20 ; and supremacy, Rom. ix. 5. 

Q. 33. What are those works which manifest Christ to 
be the true God ] 

A. The creating and preserving of all things, Col. i. 16, 
17; the obtaining eternal redemption for us, Heb. ix. 12: 
the working of miracles by his own power, Mark v. 41; 
the forgiving of sins, Mark ii. 5 ; the raising of the dead at 
the last day, John v. 28, 29 ; and his judging the world, 
Rom. xiv. 10. 

Q,. 34. What is that icorship ascribed to Christ which 
proves him to be the supreme God ? 

A. The same divine worship and adoration that is given 
to the Father, John v. 33 : we are commanded to believe 
in him equally with the Father, John xiv. 1; and we are 
baptized in his name, as well as in the name of the Father, 
Matt, xxviii. 19. 

Q. 35. In what sense does Christ say, John xiv. 28, 
" My Father is greater than I V 1 

A. He does not speak in that place of his nature, as 
God, but of his office, as Mediator ; in which respect he is 
the Father's servant, Isa. xlii. 1. 

Q,. 36. How do you prove the supreme Deity of the 
[Holy Ghost?] 

A. From the same arguments, by which the Deity of the 
Son was proved; for, (1.) He is expressly called God, 
Acts v. 3, 4. (2.) Attributes, which are peculiar only to 
God, are ascribed to him, Heb. ix. 14. 1 Cor. ii. 10. Luke 
ii. 26. Ps. cxxxix. 7. (3.) Works which can be accom- 
plished by none but God, are performed by him, Ps. xxxiii. 
6. Job xxvi. 13. Lukei. 35. 2 Pet. i. 21. John xvi. 13. Rom. 
xv. 16. (4.) The same divine worship is paid to him, as 
to the Father and the Son, Matt, xxviii. 19. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. 

Q,. 37. Could the Trinity of persons, in the unity of es- 
sence, have been discovered by the light of nature ? 

A. By no means : for then it would be no mystery, see- 
ing divine mysteries are such secrets, as the wisdom of 
man could never have found out, Matt. xi. 27. 1 Cor. ii. 
9, 10, 14. 

Q,. 38. Is it lawiul to explain this mystery by natural 

similitudes 1 

A. No ; for there is no similitude amongst all the crea- 
tures, that has the remotest resemblance to this adorable 
mystery of the three one God. By making similes or 
comparisons of this kind, men have become vain in their 
imaginations, and their foolish minds have been darkened, 
Rom. i. 21 — 26; and therefore, as this doctrine is entirely 



OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 



51 



a matter of faith, it becomes us to adore it, without prying 
curiously into what is not revealed. 

Q,. 39. Does the asserting of three persons in the God- 
head, with distinct personal properties, infer any separa- 
tion, or division, in the divine essence ! 

A. No ; for the persons in the Godhead are not separated, 
but distinguished from one another, by their personal pro- 
perties. As the unity of the essence does not confound 
the persons, so neither does the distinction of persons 
imply any division of the essence, 1 John v. 7. 

Q,. 40. Can any worship God aright, without the faith 
of this mystery of the Trinity ] 

A. No : " for he that cometh to God, must believe that 
he is," Heb. xi. 6 ; namely, that he is God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost. 

Q,. 41. How is our worship to be directed to this three 
one God 1 

A. We are to worship the Father, in Christ the Son, by 
the Spirit ; and thus, when we pray, we are to ask the 
Father, in the name of the Son, by the Holy Ghost, Eph. ii. 
18 ; and v. 20. 

Q. 42. Will not this mystery be more fully known and 
displayed in heaven % 

A. Yes: for, says Christ, "at that day ye shall know, 
that I am in my Father," John xiv. 20. See also 1 Cor. 
xhi. 12. 1 John hi. 2. 

Q. 43. What comfortable instruction may we learn from 
this doctrine of the Trinity] 

A. That the gift of eternal life, in the promise and offer 
of the gospel, to sinners of mankind, is attested by the 
three famous witnesses in heaven, who are above all ex- 
ception, 1 John v. 7, 11; and consequently, that a portion 
infinitely rich, is insured by the covenant of grace to all 
those who believe, when it makes over all the three persons 
to them, as their God, Jer. xxxi. 33. 

Q,. 44. What is the duty of the judicatures of the church 
with reference to Arians, Socinians, and Deists, who deny 
this fundamental doctrine of the Trinity ] 

A. It is their duty after the first and second admonition^ 
to reject them as heretics, Tit. iifc 10. 



Quest. 7. Wliat are the decrees of God ? 

Ans. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, ac- 
cording to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own 
glory, he hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass. 



52 



OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 



Q,. 1. What does the word [counsel] as ascribed to God 
import 1 

A. Not the receiving the knowledge of things from an- 
other, or in the way of study and advisement, as among 
men ; but the eternity, wisdom, and immutability of his 
determinations, Ps. xxxiii. 11. Prov. xix. 21. 

Q,. 2. Does the scripture speak expressly of God's de- 
crees 7 

A. Yes ; in many places ; such as, Ps. ii. 7. Job. xxviii. 
26 ; and xxxviii. 10. Isa. x. 22. Jer. v. 22, &c. 

Q,. 3. Are we by [the decrees of God,] to understand the 
things decreed, or the act decreeing 1 

A. The act decreeing or discerning. 

Q. 4. Is the decreeing act of God one simple act only? 

A. Yes : because of the perfect oneness or simplicity of 
his nature, on account of which he could not but decree all 
things at once ; because all things are naked and opened 
unto his omniscient eye, Heb. iv. 13; and because of his 
immutability, Mai. iii. 6. 

Q,. 5. Why then do we speak of the divine decrees as 
various, or many] 

A. Because of the many objects which the decreeing 
act of God respects : the things decreed are many, but the 
act decreeing is but one only. 

Q,. 6. What are the properties of the divine decrees 1 

A. That they are eternal, most wise, absolute, and un- 
changeable. 

Q,. 7. How do you prove the decrees of God to be eter- 
nal? 

A. The decrees of election, and publishing the gospel, 
are eternal, as is evident from Eph. i. 4; and 1 Cor. ii. 7; 
and therefore, all other decrees must be eternal likewise, 
because he decreed all things at once, by one simple act, 
Acts xv. 18. 

Q,. 8. In what does the wisdom of God's decrees appear ] 

A. In the beautiful order in which they are executed, 
Mark vii. 37: " He hath done all things well." 

Q,. 9. Why are the divine decrees said to be absolute ? 

A. Because they depend upon no condition without God 
himself, but entirely and solely upon his own sovereign 
will and pleasure, Eph. i. 11. 

Q. 10. Are there not certain means by which the de- 
crees of God are executed 1 

A. Yes : but these means are decreed as well as the 
end, 2Thess. ii. 13. 

Q,. 1 1. How does it appear from scripture, that the means 
and the end are connected in the decree 1 

A. From the preservation of Paul, and those who were 
with him in the ship ; God had decreed to preserve them 
all, Acts xxvii. 24 ; yet lawful means were to be used ; the 



OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 



53 



shipmen must not get leave to flee out of the ship, other- 
wise the rest cannot be saved, as Paul tells the centurion 
and the soldiers, ver. 31. 

Q,. 12. What is the difference between the means of exe- 
cution, and decreeing conditionally 1 

A. The means of execution are stated in the decree; 
but to decree a thing conditionally, is to decree it upon an 
uncertain event, which may, or may never take place. 
Q,. 13. What is the absurdity of conditional decrees] 
A. They make the will of God, which is the first cause, 
to depend upon the will of the creature -: and they plainly 
suppose, that either God is ignorant of the event, or inca- 
pable to accomplish it, or that he has determined nothing 
certainly about it ; all which are blasphemously absurd. 
Q,. 14. Are all the decrees of God then unchangeable ? 
A. Yes : " from all eternity he hath, for his own glory, 
unchangeably fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass in 
time," Eph. i. 11.* 

Q. 15. How do you prove the decrees of God to be un- 
changeable 1 
A. From scripture and from reason. 
Q,. 16. How is it proved from scripture ? 
A. From Job xxiii. 13: "He is in one mind, and who 
can turn him'?" Isa. xlvi. 10: "My counsel shall stand, 
and I will do all my pleasure." 

Q,. 17. How do you prove from reason, that the divine 
decrees are unchangeable 7 

A. From this one argument — That there is in God no 
defect of wisdom, power, or faithfulness, from whence any 
change of his will may flow ; as is the case among men, 
when they alter their resolutions. 

Q,. 18. Does the immutability of God's decree destroy 
the liberty of man's will, or the contingency of second 
causes ] 

A. No : there is in it no " violence offered to the will of 
the creature, nor is the liberty or contingency of second 
causes taken away, but rather established," Matt. xvii. 12. 
Acts ii. 23. f 

Q,. 19. Whence is it, that the absolute or unchangeable 
decree does not take away the liberty of the will 1 

A. Because God, in the execution of his decree, does 
not change the nature of things, but suffers rational agents 
to act freely and voluntarily, as being under no more con- 
straint or compulsion, than though there had been no such 
decree. 

Q,. 20. How is this made clear from scripture % . 
A. By the instance of Pilate and the Jews, when they 
crucified the Lord of glory : what they did was with full 



* Larger Catechism, Q. 12. t Confession, chap, iii. $ 1. 



54 



OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 



freedom of their will, and yet they did nothing but what 
God's " hand and counsel determined before to be done," 
Acts iv. 27, 28. 

Q,. 21. Does any thing come to pass in time, but what 
was decreed from eternity 1 

A. No : for the very reason why any thing comes to pass 
in time, is because God decreed it, Eph. i. 11. Acts xv. 18. 

Q,. 22. Are things that are casual or accidental, posi- 
tively decreed 1 

A. Yes: as is evident from the instances of Joseph's 
advancement in Egypt ; and the not breaking a bone of 
Christ ; and many others. 

Q. 23. What has the decree of God fixed with respect to 
man's continuance in this world J 

A. It has immovably fixed the precise moment of every 
one's life and death, with every particular circumstance 
thereof. 

Q,. 24. How may it be proved that the precise moment 
of every one's death is unalterably fixed in the decree ] 

A." From express scripture testimony, Job xiv. 5; Ps. 
xxxix. 4 ; from the reason given why the Jews could not 
lay hands on Christ ; namely, " because his hour was not 
yet come," John vii. 30 ; and from God's numbering the 
hairs of our head, Matt. x. 30 ; much more the days and 
moments of our life. 

Q. 25. Were there not fifteen years added to Hezekiah's 
days, after the prophet said to him, " Set thine house in 
order; for thou shalt die, and not live]" Isa. xxxviii. 1, 5. 

A. The sentence of death, by the prophet, was not an 
intimation of the decree of God, that Hezekiah was pre- 
sently to die ; but of the nature of his disease, which, ac- 
cording to the ordinary course of second causes, was 
mortal, if the power of God had not miraculously inter- 
posed. 

Q,. 26. How does the decree of God extend to things 
naturally and morally good 1 

A. Effectively : because God is the author and efficient 
cause of all good, Phil. ii. 1 3. 

Q,. 27. How does it extend to things morally evil 1 

A. Permissively and directively only, Acts xiv. 16. 

Q. 28. Is the permissive decree a bare inactive permit- 
ting of evil 1 

A. No : it determines the event of the evil permitted, 
and overrules it to a good end, contrary to the intention 
both of the work and worker. 
Q,. 29. What scripture example is there of this ] 
A. God permits Joseph's brethren to sell him into Egypt, 
and Potiphar to throw him unjustly into prison, and yet 
overrules both these evils, and makes them means, con- 
trary to the intention both of the work and workers, for 



OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 



55 



executing the decree of his advancement to the greatest 
honour, Gen. xlv. 5 — 8 ; and 1. 20 : " Ye thought evil 
against me, (says Joseph to his brethren,) but God meant 
it unto good." 

Q,. 30. How can the decree of God be permissive and 
efficacious at the same time \ 

A. It is permissive, with respect to the sinfulness of 
the action as a moral evil ; and efficacious, with respect 
to the matter of it as a natural act. 

Q. 31. How do you prove that God cannot be the author 
of sin] 

A. From the contrariety of it to his holy nature and law, 
and the indignation he has manifested against it, in what 
Christ suffered on account of it ; for he can never be the 
author of that of which he is the avenger. 

Q,. 32. What is the great end of all God's decrees ] 
A. [His own glory,] Prov. xvi. 4 : " The Lord hath made 
all things for himself ;" and particularly the glory of his 
mercy and justice, Rom. ix. 22, 23 , and, next to his own 
glory, the good of the elect, both here and hereafter, Rom. 
viii. 28. 

Q,. 33. Who are the special objects of God's decrees 1 
A. Angels and men. 

Q,, 34. What is God's decree concerning angels and 
men, commonly called ] 

A. His predestinating of them. 

Q. 35. What is meant by predestination 1 

A. It is God's unchangeable purpose or decree, concern- 
ing the last end, and eternal state, of angels and men, 1 
Tim. v. 21. Jude ver. 6. Ex. xxxiii. 19. Rom. ix. 11, 
13, 18. 

Q. 36. Is the precise number of angels and men, thus 
predestinated, particularly and unchangeably defined 1 

A. Yes : " their number is so certain and definite, that 
it cannot be either increased or diminished," 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
John xiii. 18.* 

Q,. 37. How is the decree of predestination usually 
divided 1 

A. Into the decree of election and reprobation. 
Q,. 38. What is God's decree of election, as it respects 
men ] 

A. It is his choosing a certain number of mankind, in 
Christ, to eternal life, and the means of it, to the praise of 
his glorious grace, Eph. i. 4. 2 Thess. ii. 13, 14. 

Q,. 39. Was it the foresight of faith, or good works, 
or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing 
whatsoever in the creature, that moved God to make 
choice of some men, and not of others ? 



* Confession, chap. iii. $ 4. 



56 



OF THE DIVINE DECREE3. 



A. By no means ; but his mere free grace and Jove, 
Eph. i. 6, 12. 

Q,. 40. What is God's decree of reprobation, as it 
respects men] 

A. It is his passing by, and ordaining all the rest of man- 
kind whom he has not chosen, to dishonour and wrath, to 
be for their sins inflicted, to the praise of the glory of his 
justice, Rom. ix. 17, 18, 22. 1 Pet. ii. 8. Jude ver. 4. 

Q,. 41. Since God has appointed the elect to glory, has 
he not also fore-ordained all the means ! 

A. Yes ; for " they who are elected, being fallen in 
Adam, are redeemed by Christ, 1 Thess. v. 9," 10 ;"* and 
free grace reigns, through his righteousness, to their eter- 
nal life, Rom. v. 21. 

Q,. 42. Do the decrees of election and reprobation import 
any partiality, or injustice in God ] 

A. No more than a potter is esteemed partial, or unjust, 
in making, out of the same lump, one vessel to honour, and 
another to dishonour, Rom. ix. 20. 21. 

Q,. 43. Is sin in the reprobate the cause of their damna- 
tion, or of their reprobation 1 

A. Their sin is indeed the cause of their damnation, 
Rom. vi. 23, " The wages of sin is death ;" but the sove- 
reign will and pleasure of God is the cause of their repro- 
bation, Matt. xi. 25, 26. Rom. ix. 18. 

Q,. 44. Are the secret decrees of God, concerning the 
eternal state of men, the rule of faith and practice ? 

A. No : but the revealed will of God only, Deut. xxix. 
29. 

Q. 45. Does not this doctrine of particular election and 
reprobation limit the general call of the gospel 1 

A. No : for Christ commissions to go " into all the 
world, and preach the gospel to every creature," Mark 
xvi. 15 ; not as they are elect or reprobate, but as they are 
lost sinners of Adam's family, Matt. ix. 13; therefore, all 
that hear the gospel have an equal warrant to believe, 1 
• John iii. 23. 

Q,. 46. Has it a tendency to make men careless in the 
use of the means of salvation ? 

A. No: because God has chosen us to salvation, 
"through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the 
truth," 2 Thess. ii. 13. 

Q,. 47. Ought we then to improve the means of salvation, 
without regard to the decree 1 

A. We ought no more to regard the decree in the 
matter of believing to the salvation of our souls, than in 
eating, drinking, bu}dng, selling, or any other common 
action of life ; because " the secret things belong unto the 

* Confession, chap. iii. § 6. 



OF THE EXECUTION OF GOD'S DECREES. 57 

Lord our God, but those things which are revealed, belong 
unto us, and to our children for ever," Deut. xxix. 
29. 

Q,. 48. What improvement ought we to make of the 
doctrine of absolute election ] 

A. We ought to be encouraged to believe in Christ: 
considering that electing love pitches on the chief of sin- 
ners, Ezek. xvi. 6 ; that it flows not from, nor is founded 
upon, any condition to be performed by men, Rom. ix. 1 1 ; 
and that it contains in it all things pertaining to life and 
godliness, 2 Pet. i. 3. 



Quest. 8. How does God execute his decrees ? 

Ans. God executes his decrees, in the works of crea- 
tion and providence. 

Q,. 1. What is it for God to execute his decrees'? 

A. It is to bring them to pass ; or, give an actual being 
in time, to what he purposed from eternity, Isa. xlvi. 10. 

Q,. 2. Does not God leave the execution of his decrees 
to second causes ] 

A. Whatever use God may make of second causes, in 
the execution of his decrees, yet they are merely tools in 
his over-ruling hand, to bring about his glorious designs ; 
they are his servants, and must do all his pleasure, Acts 
iv. 27, 28. 

Qt. 3. What difference is there between the decree and 
the execution of it 1 

A. The decree is an immanent or inherent act in God, 
and is nothing else but God decreeing ; but the execution 
is a transient or passing act of his infinite power, bring- 
ing the thing decreed into actual existence, 2 Pet. i. 3. 

Q,. 4. Is there an exact harmony, or correspondence, 
between God's decree and the execution of it] 

A. When the thing decreed is brought actually into 
being, it exactly corresponds to the idea or platform of it 
in the infinite mind of God, Ps. cxxxix. 16; as the taber- 
nacle of Moses answered the pattern given of it in the 
Mount, Ex. xxv. 40. 

Q,. 5. Can none of the decrees of God be defeated, or 
fail of execution ? 

A. By no means ; the counsel of the Lord shall stand, 
and he will do all his pleasure, Isa. xlvi. 10. " Who hath 
resisted his will'?" Rom. ix. 19. "None can stay his hand, 
or say unto him, What dost thou ]" Uan. iv. 35. 

Q,. 6. What are the works of God, in which his decrees 
are executed] 



58 



OF CREATION IN GENERAL. 



A. They are [the works of creation and providence.] 
Q,. 7. To which of these works of God does redemption 
belong? 

A. To the providence of God, as the most glorious part 
of it towards men. 

Q,. 8. What then is the first external work of God 1 

A. It is creation : which is therefore called, "The begin- 
ning of his ways," Prov. viii. 22. 

Q,. 9. What is the difference between God's executing 
the work of creation, and that of providence ] 

A. He executed the work of creation entirely without 
means, by the word of his power ; but he executes the 
work of providence, ordinarily, in the use of them. 

Q. 10. What may we learn from God's executing his 
decrees 1 

A. That all his promises shall be punctually accomplish- 
ed, and not one of them fall to the ground, Mark xiii. 31. 



Quest. 9. What is the work of creation ? 

Ans. The work of creation is, God's making all things 
of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six 
days, and all very good. 

Q,. 1. How do you know that the world had a beginning ? 

A. The light of nature teaches, that there must be a 
first cause ; besides, " through faith we understand that 
the worlds were framed by the word of God," Heb. xi. 3. 

Q,. 2. Might not this world have existed from eternity 1 

A. No ; it is impossible : this supposition is not only con- 
trary to scripture, but to common sense and reason, which 
tells us, that what is created, and has a duration by suc- 
cession of time, must have had a beginning. 

&. 3. From whom did this world receive its being and 
beginning 7 

A. From God only, who is being itself, and gives being 
to all things, Neh. ix. 6. 

Q,. 4. What is it for God to create 1 

A. It is his [making all things of nothing.] 

Q,. 5. W T hen did God create this world 1 

A. In the beginning of time, Gen. i. ] . 

Q,. 6. Was there any pre-existent matter out of which 
God created the world ] 

A. No: for, by his powerful word, he called "those 
things which be not, as though they were," Rom. iv. 17; 
" so that things which are seen, were not made of things 
which do appear," that is. of any pre-existent matter, Heb. 
xi. 3. 



OF CREATION IN GENERAL. 



59 



Q,. 7. In what time did God create all things ] 
A. [In the space of six days,] Ex. xx. 11. 
Q,. 8. Could he not have created all things in a moment 
of time? 

A. Yes : but he saw it more for his own glory, and the 
good of mankind, to set them an example of working six 
days, and resting the seventh. 

Q,. 9. On which of the six days, is it reckoned, that the 
angels were created ] 

A. It is probable they were created upon the first day, 
as would seem from Job xxxviii. 4, 7: " Where wast thou 
when I laid the foundations of the earth, — when the morn- 
ing stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted 
for joy ]" 

Q,. 10. Can creating power be imparted to any creature ] 

A. No : it implies a contradiction for a creature to create, 
because this would vest a finite creature with infinite 
power, Is a. xiv. 12. 

Q,. 11. Is it not then a clear proof of the supreme Deity 
of the Son of God, that all things were made by him ] 

A. No doubt it is : for, none but he, who is truly and 
properly God, can command things that are not into being, 
Isa. xliv. 24. 

Q. 12. Is creation a work common to all the persons of 
the Trinity] 

A. Yes ; for all the external works of God are common 
to each person ; every one of the three adorable persons 
being the same in substance, equal in power and glory, 1 
John v. 7 : " These three are one." 

Qt. 13. For what end did God make all things'? 

A. He made all things for himself, or for the display of 
his matchless excellencies, Prov. xvi. 4. 

Q,. 14. What are those excellencies or perfections of 
God, which are more especially displayed in the work of 
creation 1 

A. His infinite power, extensive goodness, and manifold 
wisdom, Rom. i, 20. 

Q,. 15. How does the infinite power of God shine forth 
in creating the world ] 

A. In bringing all things, of a sudden, out of nothing, 
by his bare word, Ps. xxxiii. 6. 

Q,. 16. What was that bare word] 

A. Let such a thing be, Gen. i. 3. 

Q,. 17. How is his manifold wisdom displayed in this 
work! 

A. In the vast variety of creatures, great and small, 
which he has made ; the order and harmony of them all ; 
and their subserviency one to another, Ps. civ. 24. 

Q,. 18. Why is it said that he made all things [very good ?] 
A. Because God, upon a survey of his works, declared 



60 



OF CREATION IN GENERAL. 



them to be so, Gen. i. 31: "God saw all that he had made, 
and behold, it was very good." 

Q,. 19. In what consists the goodness of the creatures of 
God? 

A. In the perfection of their nature, their being fit to 
answer the end of their creation ; and their usefulness to 
man, being both profitable and pleasant to him. 

Q,. 20. Are not many creatures hurtful to man I 

A. They were not so at their first creation, and while 
man continued in his allegiance to God : but through his 
sinning against God he has brought a curse on himself, 
and the whole creation, Gen. hi. it: " Cursed is the ground 
for thy sake." 

Q,. 21. Is not God said to "create evil!" Isa. xlv. 7. 

A. Not the evil of sin; but of punishment, as a just 
judge, Rom. hi. 5, 6. Amos hi. 6. 

Q,. 22. How then came sin and death into the world 1 

A. Man is the parent of sin, and sin opened the door to 
death : " By one man sin entered into the world, and death 
by sin," Rom. v. 12. 

Q,. 23. Upon what day did God rest from creating the 
world ? 

A. Upon the seventh day, Gen. ii. 2, 3 ; which was there- 
fore appointed to be the weekly Sabbath, till the resurrec- 
tion of Christ. 

Q,. 24. Does this resting, on the seventh day, say that he 
was weary with working 1 

A. No: " The everlasting God, the Creator of the ends 
of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary," Isa. xl. 28. 

Q. 25. What then is meant by his resting ) <% 

A. It is spoken after the manner of men ; and the mean- 
ing is, that God ceased to create any other sorts of crea- 
tures than he had already made. 

Q,. 26. Is not the same power that created all things, 
exerted in sustaining them in their being 1 

A. Yes ; for he, by whom the worlds were made, is said 
to uphold all things by the word of his power, Heb. i. 2, 3. 

Q,. 27. Do not the scriptures speak of a new creation, as 
well as of the old 1 

A. Yes : the Spirit of God, in scripture, speaks of a new 
world of grace, under the name of " new heavens" and a 
"new earth," Isa. lxvi. 22; Rev. xxi. 1. 

Q,. 28. What is to be understood by this new creation, 
or new world of grace 1 

A. The true church of Christ, particularly under the 
New Testament, not excluding the church triumphant in 
heaven. 

Q,. 29. By whom is this new world created? 
A. By the same God that made the old world ; " Behold, 
I create new heavens, and a new earth," Isa. lxv. 17. 



OF THE CREATION OF MAN. 



Gl 



Q,. 30. Who are the inhabitants of this new world 1 

A. They are ail new creatures, taken out of the old 
world, 2 Cor. v. 17. 

Q. 31. How came they out of this material, into that 
spiritual world 1 

A. By the new birth ; for, except a man be born again, 
he cannot enter into it, John iii. 3 : flesh and blood, or cor- 
rupted nature, continuing such, cannot inherit it, 1 Cor. 
xv. 50. 

Q,. 32. Is there any difference of nations, sexes, or per- 
sons, in this new world } 

A. No; for "there is neither Greek nor Jew, circum- 
cision, nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor 
free ; but Christ is all, and in all," Col. iii. 11. 

Q,. 33. By what door do men enter into this new world 
of grace ! 

A. Christ says, " I am the door ; by me if any man enter 
in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find 
pasture," John x. 9, and chap. xiv. 6 ; " I am the way — no 
man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 

Q,. 34. In what lies the happiness of the inhabitants of 
this new world of grace ) 

A. None so happy as they, because they dwell in God, 
and God dwells in them as in a temple, 1 Cor. iii. 16 ; and 
walks in them as in his garden of pleasure, 2 Cor. vi. 16; 
and, at death, they are transported by the ministry of 
angels, to the world of glory above, Luke xvi. 22. 

Q,. 35. What may we learn from the doctrine of the 
creation ! 

A. That we ought to contemplate God in all his crea- 
tures, Ps. xix. 1; acknowledge him as the rightful pro- 
prietor and sovereign disposer of them all, 1 Chron. xxix. 
11; and believe that the same almighty power of God, 
which was put forth in creating of all things, shall be ex- 
erted in defence and support of his church and people, in 
the time of their need, Ps. cxxi. 2. 



Quest. 10. Hoiv did God create man ? 

Ans. God created man, male and female, after his own 
image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with 
dominion over the creatures. 

Q,. 1. Upon which day of creation was [man] made? 
A. Upon the sixth day, Gen. i. 26, and 31, compared. 
Q,. 2. Why was the creation of man delayed, or put off, 
to the sixth day 1 
Part I.— 6 



62 



OF THE CREATION OF MAN. 



A. To discover the great regard God had to man's hap- 
piness and welfare, in that he would first furnish the great 
house of the creation for him, before he brought him into 
it, Ps. viii. 6 — 8. 

Q,. 3. Was there any more solemnity observed in the 
creation of man, than in making the rest of the creatures ! 

A. Yes : for as to the rest of the creatures, he just com- 
manded them into being; but when man is to be created, 
a council of the Trinity is held about his formation. Gem 
i. 26, " Let us make man." 

Q,. 4. Why so much solemnity about man's formation 
beyond other creatures 1 

A. Because man was to be God's viceroy in this lower 
world, the only image of his Creator, in his formal perfec- 
tions ; and it was the purpose of God, though not then re- 
vealed, that the second person of the Godhead was to be- 
come man. 

Q,. 5. What is it that constitutes the human nature, or 
nature of man ! 

A. A true body and a reasonable soul united together. 

Q. 6. Of what was the body of man formed ! 

A. " Of the dust of the ground," Gen. ii. 7; hence God 
is resembled to a potter, and man to the clay, and a pot- 
sherd, Isa. lxiv. 8, and xlv. 9. 

Q. 7. What should this teach us 1 

A. To remember we are dust, Eccl. iii. 20; to admire 
the condescension of the son of God in coming into our 
tribe, and assuming a human body, 1 Tim. iii. 16 ; to con- 
sider that we are in God's hand, as the clay is in the hand 
of the potter, Jer. xviii. 6 ; and that, in this our fallen state, 
we are to return to the dust again, Gen. iii. 19. 

Q. 8. How was the first woman formed ! 

A. Of a rib taken from the man's side, Gen ii. 21, 22. 

Q,. 9. Of what was this a figure I 

A. Of Christ and the church, Eph. v. 31, 32. 

Q.. 10. In what respect was the formation of the woman 
a figure of these ! 

A. In as much as the church was, as it were, taken out 
of the pierced side of Christ, when the Lord God caused 
the deep sleep of death to fall upon him; first, typically, in 
the sacrifice; and then actually, in his decease which he 
accomplished at Jerusalem. 

Q. 11. Why was marriage instituted of God before the 
fall ! 

A. To show that it belongs to the law of nature ; and 
that mankind, as such, have a title to it. Heb. xiii. 4, 
"Marriage is honourable in all." 

Q,. 12. "What is the other part of man's nature] 

A. A reasonable soul. 

Q,. 13. How was the soul of man made ! 



OF THE CREATION OF MAN. 



63 



A. God " breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and 
he became a living soul," Gen. ii. 7. 

Q. 14. Why is the creation of the soul of man thus 
expressed ? 

A. To show, that as the Lord is " the God of the spirits 
of all flesh," Num. xxvii. 16 ; who creates them immedi- 
ately, and by himself, without the intervention of second 
causes, Zech. xii. 1 ; so he has an absolute dominion over 
them, and can call them back to himself when he pleases, 
Eccl. xii. 7. 

Q,. 15. In what does the soul of man differ from the 
body? 

A. The body is a corporeal, but the soul is a spiritual 
and immaterial substance. 

Q,. 16. In what does the soul of man differ from the 
spirit or life of a beast ? 

A. The spirit or life of a beast goes downward to the 
earth, and perishes at its death, Eccl. iii. 21 ; but the soul 
of man, being rational and immortal, "returns to God 
who gave it," Eccl. xii. 7. 

Q,. 17. How do you prove the immortality of the soul of 
man? 

A. (1.) From the great price paid for the redemption of 
the soul, which had ceased for ever, without a ransom of 
infinite value, Ps. xlix. 8. (2.) From the promises of 
eternal life, and the threatenings of eternal death, Mark 
xvi. 16. (3.) Christ tells us, that they who kill the body 
cannot kill the soul, Matt. x. 28. (4.) Christ, and his dying 
saints, commit their spirits, or souls, into the hand of God, 
Ps. xxxi. 5 ; Luke xxiii. 46 ; Acts vii. 59 ; and the soul of 
the thief went to paradise, with the soul of Christ, that day 
they died, Luke xxiii. 43. In a word, if the soul perishes 
with the body, the saints of God would be of all men the 
most miserable, 1 Cor. xv. 19. 

Q. 18. What should this teach us! 

A. To be more concerned for the salvation of our souls 
than for all things in the world : " For," says Christ, " what 
is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his 
own soul V Matt. xvi. 26. 

Q,. 19. Why did God create man [?nale and female?] 

A. For the propagation of mankind, Gen. i. 28 ; and 
mutual helpfulness to each other, chap. ii. 18. 

Q. 20. Why were both the man and the woman called 
Adam ? Gen. v. 2. 

A. To intimate that their original was of the earth ; that 
they were both of the same nature ; that the promises and 
threatenings concerned them both equally, Rom. v. 12; 
and to teach us, that notwithstanding this, the man was 
the representing head of the covenant, 1 Cor. xv. 22. 

Q. 21. After whose image did God create man ] 



64 



OF THE CREATION OF MAN. 



A. [After his own image,] Gen. i. 26, 27. 

Q,. 22. Did this image of God lie in any outward shape 
of man's body J 

A. By no means : for God is a pure Spirit, without all 
bodily parts, John iv. 24. 

Q,. 23. What then was the proper seat of it ] 

A. The soul of man was the painting table, on which 
this image of God was expressed and delineated, Gen. ii. 
7 ; James iii. 9. 

Q,. 24. In what did the soul of man bear a likeness to 
God? 

A. In its spiritual and immortal nature ; and in the 
faculties of the understanding and the will, with which it 
was endued. 

Q,. 25. In what did the image of God, which was drawn 
on man's soul, chiefly consist ? 

A. [In knoivledge, righteousness, and holiness,'] Col. iii. 
10; Eph. iv. 24. 

Q,. 26. What knowledge was man endued with at his 
creation 1 

A. A perfect knowledge of God, of his will, and works, 
so far as was necessary to render him happy, and fit for 
universal obedience. 

Q,. 27. What righteousness had man at his creation 1 

A. Not an imputed, but an inherent righteousness; 
which consisted in a perfect conformity of all the powers 
and faculties of his soul, to the pure nature of God, and 
the moral law written upon his heart, Eccl. vii. 29. 

Q. 28. In what consisted his holiness 1 

A. In the lustre and beauty of his perfect knowledge 
and inherent righteousness, shining both in his heart and 
life. 

Q,. 29. Was the will of man, in a state of innocence, 
absolutely indifferent to good and evil ? 

A. No : God set man's will only towards good ; yet it 
was movable to evil, and that only by man himself; to 
whom God gave a sufficient power to stand in his integ- 
rity, if he ha"d pleased, Eccl. vii. 29. 

Q. 30. What was the necessary consequence of this 
image of God drawn upon our first parents] 

AT The immortality of the whole man, and [dominion 
over the creatures.] 

Q,. 31. Would they have been immortal if they had not 
sinned ! 

A. Yes ; for it was only in case of sin that death was 
threatened, Gen. ii. 17. 

Q,. 32. How could their bodies have been immortal, 
when made of the dust 1 

A. The perfect purity or holiness of their souls, would 



OF PROVIDENCE. 



65 



have preserved their bodies from sickness, death, and 
corruption, Rom. v. 12, and vi. 23. 

Q,. 33. In what did man's dominion over the creatures 
consist 1 

A. In his princely power over the inferior creatures, by 
which he could rule and use them as he pleased, for God's 
glory and his own good, without any injustice, Gen. i. 18, 
and ii. 19, 20. 

Q,. 34. Where did God put the man when he had formed 
him after his own image 1 

A. In the garden of Eden ; a place eminent for pleasant- 
ness, wherein nothing was wanting, either for necessity 
or delight, Gen. ii. 8, 9. 

Q,. 35. What may we learn from the holy and happy 
state in which man was created 1 

A. The unspeakable difference between man's former 
and present condition : formerly, in a state of innocence, 
man's understanding was a lamp of light, his will lay 
straight with the will of God, and his affections were pure 
and holy, free from all disorder and distemper ; but now, 
the very reverse : so that we may say, " How is the gold 
become dim ! how is the most fine gold changed !" Lam. 
iv. 1. " The crown is fallen from our head! wo unto us 
that we have sinned !" chap. v. 16. 



Quest. 11. What are God's works of providence ? 

Ans. God's works of providence are, his most holy, 
wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his crea- 
tures, and all their actions. 

Q,. 1. How does it appear that there is a [providence ?] 
A. From scripture, and by reason. 
Q,. 2. How does the scripture evidence that there is a 
providence 1 

A. It tells us, that the Lord preserves man and beast, 
Ps. xxxiv. 6 ; that he gives " rain from heaven, and fruitful 
seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness," Acts 
xiv. 17; that "he giveth to all, life, and breath, and all 
things," Acts xvii. 25. 

Q,. 3. How may providence be proved by reason ? 

A. The admirable order and harmony among such a 
vast variety of creatures in the world, continuing for so 
many ages, notwithstanding of their different and oppo- 
site natures'; the accomplishment of future events, exactly 
according to the predictions of them long before; the 
revolutions of kingdoms ; the orderly returns of seed-time 
and harvest ; and the preservation of a church on earth, 

6* 



66 



OF PROVIDENCE. 



against the fury of hell and wicked men : all these plainly 
evince, to the rational world, that there is a providence. 

Q,. 4. Can providence be denied without denying the 
being of God 3 

A. No; for the same arguments that prove the one, 
prove the other : to deny that God governs the world, is 
to deny that God exists, Isa. xli. 23. 

Q,. 5. What is the object of God's providence, or to what 
does it extend I 

A. To [all his creatures, and all their actions.'] 

Q. 6. What is God's providence towards the angels 1 

A. He permitted some of them to fall wilfully and irre- 
coverably into sin and damnation, Jude verse 6; and 
established the rest in holiness and happiness, 1 Tim. v. 21. 

Q. 7. Are the smallest and meanest of the creatures the 
objects of God's providence, as well as the greatest and 
most considerable ] 

A. God's providence disdains not the meanest worm, 
more than the mightiest prince: he counts the hairs of 
our head, Matt. x. 30, as well as the number of the stars, 
Ps. cxlvii. 4. 

d. 8. Does it reflect any dishonour upon the providence 
of God to take care of the meanest creatures 1 

A. It can reflect no dishonour upon divine providence, 
to preserve what infinite wisdom saw meet to create, be 
it ever so mean in our view, Neh. ix. 6. 

Q. 9. Does providence extend to all the [actions] of the 
creatures, as well as to the creatures themselves ! 

A. Yes : otherwise the creatures would be independent 
in thejr actions ; and God would not be in all things the 
first cause, Gen. xlv. 7. 

Q. 10. Are casual or contingent actions subject to divine 
providence 1 

A. What is casual to us, is ordained by God : nothing 
can be more casual than a lot, yet " the whole disposing 
thereof is of the Lord," Prov. xvi. 33. 

Q,. 11. Are voluntary or free actions subject to it like- 
wise } 

A. Yes ; for, though " there are many devices in a man's 
heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall 
stand," Prov. xix. 21. 

Q,. 12. How is the providence of God conversant about 
good actions ! 

A. Not by compelling, but sweetly inclining and deter- 
mining the will, both to the action and the right manner 
of performing it. Phil. ii. 13, " It is God who worketh in 
you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure." 

Q. 13. How is it conversant about sinful actions'? 

A. In permitting them to be done, Acts xiv. 16; and in 
limiting and directing them to good and holy ends, con- 



OF PROVIDENCE. 



67 



trary both to the nature of sin, and the intention of the 
sinner, 2 Kings xix. 28. 

Q,. 14. What scripture instance may be given, of God's 
over-ruling the sinful actions of men to holy ends 1 

A. The worst action that ever was committed, the cru- 
cifying the Lord of glory, was ordered and directed by 
God, for bringing about the greatest mercy, the redemp- 
tion of a lost world, Acts ii. 23, and iv. 28. 

Q,. 15. What are the [works] of providence about the 
creatures and their actions ? 

A. They are two ; God's preserving them, and his gov- 
erning- them. 

Q,. 16. What is God's [preserving] work of providence? 

A. It is his upholding all the creatures in their being 
and operation, by the same power by which he made them 
at first, Heb. i. 3 — " Upholding all things, by the word of 
his power." 

Q,. 17. What would be the consequence of God's with- 
holding from the creatures his preserving providence 1 

A. They would presently sink into their original no- 
thing, Ps. civ. 29. 

Q,. 18. What is God's [governing] work of providence? 

A. His directing and leading all his creatures to the 
proper ends, which he has prescribed and appointed, Prov. 
xvi. 9: "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord 
directeth his steps." 

Q,. 19. How do you prove that God governs as well as 
preserves his creatures ] 

A. From their dependence upon him for operation, as 
well as for being ; for in him they live and move, as well 
as have their being, Acts xvii. 28 ; and it is expressly said, 
that " God ruleth by his power for ever." Ps. lxvi. 7. 

Q. 20. Does God's governing providence include in it 
his immediate concurrence with every action of the crea- 
ture? 

A. Yes : God not only efficaciously concurs in pro- 
ducing the action, as to the matter of it ; but likewise pre- 
determines the creature to such or such an action, and 
not to another, Isa. x. 6, 7; shutting up all other ways of 
acting, and leaving that only open, which he had deter- 
mined to be done, Ezek. xxi. 21, 22. 

Q,. 21. How can God concur with the sinful actions of 
men, without sin, of which he cannot be the author ? 

A. Although God not only preserves and supports the 
faculties with which a man sins, but likewise previously, 
immediately, and efficaciously concurs to the substance, 
matter, or entity of the action, yet he by no means con- 
curs to the sinfulness or wickedness of the act, Isa. x. 6, 7. 

Q,. 22. In what does the sinfulness of an action properly 
consist I 



68 



OF PROVIDENCE. 



A. Not in the matter of the action, but in the /or m of it ; 
that is, not in the action itself, considered as an act, but in 
the deficiency or swerving of that act from the rule of the 
law, 1 John iii. 4 — " Sin is the transgression of the law." 

Q,. 23. How may the difference between the matter and 
form of an action be illustrated by an example S 

A. In the stoning of Achan and Naboth ; the matter of 
the action was the same, namely, the throwing of stones ; 
bat the form of the action, in point of conformity or dis- 
conformity to the law, was vastly different : the stoning 
of Achan, condemned by God, and all Israel, was an act 
of just punishment, agreeable to the law ; but the stoning 
of Naboth, an innocent man, was an act of unjust murder, 
quite contrary to the law, Ex. xx. 13. 

Q. 24. From whence then does the sinfulness or vicious- 
ness of actions proceed ] 

A. Although the power of acting be from God, yet the 
viciousness or malignity of the action is entirely from the 
inherent corruption of our own nature, James i. 13, 14. 

Q,. 25. Does not God present the object which is the 
occasion of sinning 1 

A. Sin does not arise from the object which God, in his 
providence, presents to us, but from our own inward de- 
pravity, called, " the corruption that is in the world through 
lust," 2 Pet. i. 4. God delivered Christ to the Jews ; he 
presented him to them ; but neither infused that malice in 
them, by which they crucified him, nor did excite it, but 
it was entirely of themselves, Acts ii. 23. 

Q,. 26. What are the properties of God's providence ? 

A. It is [most holy, wise, and poiverful.] 

Q,. 27. Why is the providence of God called [most holy ?] 

A. Because of the infinite holiness and purity that shines 
in all his administrations, Ps. cxlv. 17. 

Q. 28. In what does the holiness of God's providence 
appear ? 

A. In bringing glory to his mercy and justice out of sin. 
Q,. 29. How does he bring glory to his mercy out of sin 1 
A. In making the worst of sinners become the choicest 

of saints, as in the instance of Paul, 1 Tim. i. 12, 13, and 

others. 

Q,. 30. How does he bring glory to his justice out of sin ? 

A. By the judgments which he executes upon sinners, 
even in this life, Ps. ix. 16. 

Q,. 31. Why is the providence of God said to be [wise . ? ] 

A. Because it makes all things subservient to the end 
which God had fixed for himself, Rom. viii. 28. 

Q,. 32. How is the wisdom of providence manifested J 

A. In the exact harmony of all the motions thereof with 
the word, Hos. xiv. 9. 

Q,. 33. Why is God's providence called [powerful?] 



OF PROVIDENCE. 



69 



A. Because it cannot be resisted, Dan. iv. 35 — " He doth 
according to his will, in the army of heaven, and among 
the inhabitants of the earth : none can stay his hand, or 
say unto him, what dost thou T" 

Q,. 34. How does the power of providence discover 
itself! 

A. In bringing about great events, by small and appa- 
rently contemptible means : thus, he makes worm Jacob 
to thresh the mountains, Isa. xli. 15; and by the foolish- 
ness of preaching saves them that believe, 1 Cor. i. 21. 

Q,. 35. How is the providence of God usually distin- 
guished 1 

A. Into ordinary and extraordinary, common and 
special. 

Q,. 36. What is the ordinary providence of God ? 

A. It is his observing the order of things, which he ap- 
pointed from the beginning, Hos. ii. 21, 22. 

Q,. 37. What is the extraordinary providence of God 1 

A. It is his going beyond, or contrary to the natural 
order of things ; and such events are called miraculous. 

Q,. 38. What is a miracle ? 

A. It is such an astonishing and surprising effect, con- 
trary to the ordinary course of nature, as surpasses the 
power of all created beings, and can be produced by di- 
vine omnipotence only ; such as, dividing the waters of 
the Red Sea and Jordan, making the sun to stand still, 
raising the dead, giving eye-sight to the born blind, curing 
all manner of diseases by a word, and the like. 

Q,. 39. What is common providence! 
A. It is that which is exercised about all the creatures 
in general, Acts xviii. 28, called God's natural government. 

Q,. 40. What is special providence 1 

A. It is that which is exercised about rational creatures 
in particular, Deut. xxx. 16 — 18, called his moral govern- 
ment. 

Q,. 41. What is the special providence which God exer- 
cises about his church and people ? 

A. His " eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, 
to show himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is 
perfect towards him," 2 Chron. xvi. 9 ; and he makes all 
things work together for their good, Rom. viii. 28. 

Q. 42. Are not all the dispensations of providence, pros- 
perous or adverse, to be carefully observed ! 

A. Yes; for "whoso is wise, and will observe these 
things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of 
the Lord," Ps. cvii. 43. 

Q,. 43. How are the providences of God to be observed? 

A. With humility and reverence, under a sense of our 
weakness to penetrate into them, Rom. xi. 34 ; and with 



70 



OF PROVIDENCE. 



gratitude and thankfulness, because there is always some 
mixture of mercy with judgment in this life, Ps. ci. 1. 

Q,. 44. Is it not dangerous to overlook the operations of 
divine providence 1 

A. Yes ; for it is said, Ps. xxviii. 5, " Because they re- 
gard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his 
hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up." 

Q,. 45. Are not some dispensations of providence very 
dark and mysterious ! 

A. Yes : his ways are many times in the sea, and his 
paths in the great waters, and his footsteps are not known, 
Ps. lxxvii. 19. 

Q,. 46. In what does the mystery of providence appear 1 

A. In the mysterious tract, and mysterious outward ap- 
pearance of it. 

Q,. 47. How is providence mysterious in the tract of it 1 

A. In attaining its end by seemingly contrary means ; 
such as making Joseph's imprisonment the step to his 
being second in the kingdom, and the casting of Daniel 
into the lions' den, the path to his higher preferment. 

Q,. 48. In what is providence mysterious in the outward 
appearance of it 3 

A. In that " ail things come alike unto all ;" there being 
one event to the righteous and to the wicked : and no man 
knowing love or hatred, by all that is before him in this 
life, Eccl. ix. 1, 2. 

Q,. 49. How do you prove that love or hatred cannot be 
known by the outward dispensations of providence in this 
life? 

A. From the parable of the rich man and Lazarus ; 
the rich man, in his lifetime, received good things, and 
Lazarus evil things; and yet, after death, Lazarus is 
comforted, and the other tormented, Luke xvi. 19 — 27. 

Q. 50. Is this seemingly unequal appearance of provi- 
dence in this life, any reflection upon the wisdom and 
righteousness of it ? 

A. No ; for, though good men may be sometimes put to 
a stand by the outward prosperity of the wicked, and the 
straits and wants of the godly, as Jeremiah was, chap. xii. 
1, " wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper ! where- 
fore are all they happy that deal very treacherously]" yet, 
if the enjoyments of the one, and wants of the other, are 
laid in the balance, it would be found, that a " little that 
the righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many 
wicked," Ps. xxxvii. 16. 

Q,. 51. What is our duty when providence seems to run 
contrary to the promise 7 

A. It is to believe the promise, and that providence is 
running in a direct line to the accomplishment of it, 



OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 



71 



though we cannot see it at the time, as Abraham did, 
"who against hope believed in hope, and staggered not 
at the promise of God through unbelief," Rom. iv. 18, 
20. 

Q,. 52. Will not dark providences be opened to the 
saints some time or other 1 

A. Yes : for, says Christ, " What I do thou knowest not 
now, but thou shalt know hereafter," John xiii. 7. 

Q,. 53. When will the mystery of providence be opened 
to the saints ? 

A. It shall be fully unveiled at the end of the day, when 
the mystery of it shall be finished, and all the labyrinths, 
in which the saints were led, fully un winded, Rev. x. 
6, 7. 

Q,. 54. What will be the language of the saints, when 
the whole mystery of providence shall be explained ? 

A. They will say, " He hath done all things well," Mark 
vii. 37 : " Not one thing hath failed of all the good things 
which the Lord spake ; — all are come to pass, — not one 
thing hath failed thereof," Josh, xxiii. 14. 

Q,. 55. What improvement ought we to make of this 
doctrine of providence } 

A. To commit our way to the Lord ; to " trust also in 
him, and he shall bring it to pass," Ps. xxxvii. 5. 



Quest. 12. What special act of providence did God 
exercise towards man, in the estate wherein he was cre- 
ated ? 

Ans. When God had created man, he entered into a 
covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect 
obedience ; forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge 
of good and evil, upon the pain of death. 

Q,. h Was there any thing special in God's government 
of man, when he was created, above the other crea- 
tures 1 

A. Yes ; for God gave man a moral law, which the 
other creatures, not endued with reason, were not capa- 
ble of : Job xxxv. 10, 11 — " None saith, Where is God my 
maker] — Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the 
earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven." 

Q,. 2. What call you a moral law i 

A. A moral law signifies a law of right manners, or 
good and suitable behaviour towards God and man, and 
adapted to man's rational nature, Rom. vii. 12. 



72 



OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 



Q,. 3. How was this law first given to man ? 

A. It was written upon the table of his heart, the mo- 
ment that God created him in his own image, Gen. i. 27. 

Q,. 4. What do you understand by God's writing the 
law upon the table of his heart ) 

A. God's inlaying a principle of obedience in his heart, 
disposing him to obey out of love to God, and a supreme 
regard to his authority, Eccl. vii. 29. 

Q,. 5. What was the peculiar favour which God mani- 
fested to man in a state of innocence, besides writing the 
law upon his heart \ 

A. The reducing that law to the form of a covenant, by 
which man became confederate with heaven. 

Q,. 6. What is a covenant 1 

A. A mutual free compact and agreement between two 
parties, upon express terms or conditions. 

Q,. 7. How many covenants are there, relating to the 
life and happiness of man 1 

A. Two ; the covenant of works, and the covenant of 
grace, Gal. iv. 24 — " These are the two covenants." 

Q. 8. Which of these was the covenant which God 
entered into with man, when he was created } 

A. The covenant of works, or of life. 

Q. 9. Why called a covenant of works ? 

A. From the condition of it. 

Q. 10. Why called [a covenant of life?'] 

A. From the promise of it. 

Q. 11. How does it appear that God entered into a 
covenant with man in innocence ] 

A. From the condition and penalty that were in the first 
covenant, Gen. ii. 16, 17, and from express mention in 
scripture of Adam's breach of that covenant. Hos. vi. 7 — 
" But they, like men, (margin, like Adam,) have trans- 
gressed the covenant." 

Q,. 12. How does it appear that Adam gave that consent, 
which was necessary in a mutual covenant 1 

A. His silent acquiescence to the will of his sovereign 
Creator, implied a consent ; and his consent could not be 
withheld, by a creature made after the image of God, in 
knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. 

Q,. 13. What was the condition of the covenant of 
works 1 

A. [Perfect obedience] to the whole law of God, in heart 
and life. 

Q. 14. What was the sum of that law, which was the 
rule of man's covenant obedience ] 

A. That man believe whatever God shall reveal, and 
do whatever he shall command, Rom. x. 5 ; and, in testi- 
mony of it, not to [eat of the tree of knowledge of good 
and eviL] Gen. ii. 17. 



OF THE COVENANT OF WOPvKS. 



73 



Q,. 15. Was this prohibition, of not eating of the tree of 
knowledge of good and evil, a moral or a positive precept] 

A. It was a positive precept, founded in the sovereign 
will of God. 

Q,. 16. Was it then a thing in itself indifferent to eat, or 
not to eat, of that tree 1 

A. There could be no moral evil in eating of that tree, 
more than any other, antecedently to the command of 
God forbidding it ; but after that, it was no more indiffer- 
ent, but highly sinful to do so. 

Q,. 17. Why did God extend the rule and matter of 
man's covenant obedience, to a thing in itself indifferent 1 

A. That man's obedience might turn upon the precise 
point of the will of God, which is the plainest evidence of 
true obedience, Ps. xl. 8. 

Q,. 18. Did man's life and death hang upon this positive 
precept about the forbidden fruit 1 

A. Not upon this only, but likewise on the whole law, 
Gal. iii. 10. " Cursed is every one that continueth not in 
all things written in the book of the law to do them." 

Q,. 19. Was there any mercy or favour in restricting 
man from eating of this tree I 

A. Much every way; for this restriction taught him, 
that though he was lord of the creatures, yet he was God's 
subject : it was a beacon set up before him to beware of 
sin ; and it pointed him away from the creatures to God 
himself for happiness. 

Q,. 20. What was the penalty in case of disobedience ? 

A. It was [the pain of death :] — " In the day that thou 
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," Gen. ii. 17. 

Q,. 21. What kind of death was this which was threat- 
ened upon disobedience ? 

A. It was death temporal, spiritual, and eternal. 

Q,. 22. Did Adam die a temporal or natural death, that 
day he sinned I 

A. No : but he became a dead man in law, and his body 
got its death- wound, and became mortal, Rom. v. 12. 

Q,. 23. Why was the immediate execution of natural 
death suspended'? 

A. Because of his posterity then in his loins ; and be- 
cause of another covenant that was prepared, Job xxxiii. 
24. 

Q. 24. What was the spiritual death threatened 1 

A. The loss of his original righteousness, and the favour 
of God, Gen. iii. 8, 10, 24. 

Q,. 25. What is meant by eternal death % 

A. The enduring of the wrath of God, in soul and body, 
in a state of separation from him for ever, Matt. xxv. 46. 

Q,. 26. What was the promise in this covenant, in case 
of obedience'? 

Part I.— 7 



74 



OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 



A. It was life. 

Q,. 27. How does it appear that life was promised, when 
the promise of it is not expressly mentioned 7 

A. The promise of life is included in the threatening of 
death ; " In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt 
surely die:" which necessarily implies, If thou dost not 
eat thereof, thou shalt surely live, Gal. iii. 12. 

Q. 28. What kind of life was it that was promised to 
man in the covenant of works ? 

A. The continuance of his natural life, consisting in the 
union of his soul and body ; the continuance also of his 
spiritual life, consisting in the favour of God, Lev. xviii. 
5 ; and his entering upon eternal life in heaven, after he 
had passed through the time of his trial upon earth, Rom. 
vii. 10. 

Q. 29. How do you prove that eternal life in heaven 
was included in the promise of this covenant 1 

A. From eternal death in hell being included in the 
threatening of it, as the natural wages of sin ; and from 
Christ himself expounding the promise of the covenant of 
works, of eternal life, Matt. xix. 16. When one puts the 
question to him, " What shall I do, that I may inherit eter- 
nal life ]" he answers, ver. 17, " If thou wilt enter into life, 
(namely, eternal life, by doing,) keep the commandments." 

Q,. 30. Was there any proportion between Adam's obe- 
dience, though sinless, and the life that was promised ! 

A. There can be no proportion between the obedience 
of a finite creature, however perfect, and the enjoyment 
of the infinite God, Job xxii. 2, 3 : " Can a man be profit- 
able to God ] Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou 
art righteous ! or, is it gain to him, that thou makest thy 
way perfect 1" 

Q,. 31. Why could not Adam's perfect obedience be 
meritorious of eternal life I 

A. Because perfect obedience was no more than what 
he was bound to, by virtue oi his natural dependence on 
God, as a reasonable creature made after his image. 

Q. 32. Could he have claimed the reward as a debt, in 
case he had continued in his obedience ] 

A. He could have claimed it only as el pactional* debt, in 
virtue of the covenant promise, by which God became 
debtor to his own faithfulness, but not in virtue of any in- 
trinsic merit of his obedience, Luke xvii. 10. 

Q. 33. What then was the grace and condescension of 
God that shined in the covenant of works ! 

A. In that he entered into a covenant, at all, with his 
own creature ; and promised eternal life as a reward of 
his work, though he had nothing to work with, but what 
he received from God, 1 Cor. ivT 7. 



* By compact or agreement. 



OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 



75 



Q,. 34. Did the covenant of works oblige man to seek 
life upon the account of his obedience ? 

A. It left man to expect it upon his obedience, but did 
not oblige him to seek it on that score ; but only on ac- 
count of the faithfulness of God in his promise, graciously 
annexing life to man's sinless obedience, Matt. xix. 16. 

Q,. 35. Did the covenant of works oblige man to make 
his own life and happiness the chief end of his obedience ? 

A. By no means : the promise of life was an encourage- 
ment to his obedience, but the glory of God was to be the 
chief end in it ; to which any view of his own happiness 
was to be subordinate, otherwise his obedience had not 
been perfect. 

Q,. 36. Was the covenant of works a law, as well as a 
covenant ] 

A. Yes ; it was both the one and the other 

Q. 37. In what respect was it a law ! 

A. As it was not between equals, but enjoined by the 
sovereign Lawgiver. 

Q,. 38. In what respect was it a covenant ! 

A. As it contained a promise of reward, graciously an- 
nexed to the precept, Gal. iii. 12. 

Q,. 39. Is this covenant abrogated, or still in force ? 

A. It was never abrogated, but is still binding upon all 
that are under it, Matt. v. 18, and xix. 17. 

Q,. 40. Did not man's sin abrogate this covenant ? 

A. No: his sin bound him under the curse of it, Gal. 
iii. 10. 

Q,. 41. Did not Christ's doing and dying abrogate this 
covenant of works 7 

A. No : it fulfilled both the precept and penalty of it, 
Rom. x. 4. 

Q,. 42. Does not the law of faith abrogate the law of 
works T 

A. No : " Do we make void the law through faith ! God 
forbid; yea, we establish the law," Rom. iii. 31. 

Q,. 43. Are sinners, that live under the gospel dispensa- 
tion, under the same obligation to obedience, as the con- 
dition of life, that Adam was under 1 

A. While they remain in unbelief, rejecting the surety 
of the better testament, they keep themselves under an ob- 
ligation to do the whole law, and so are under the curse 
of it, Gal. v. 3, 4. 

Q,. 44. What may we learn from this doctrine 1 

A. It teaches us, that eternal death comes by the breach 
of the covenant of works in the first Adam; and that 
eternal life comes only by the fulfilling of the same cove- 
nant by the second Adam, Rom. v. 19. 



76 



OF ADA3l's FALL. 



Quest. 13. Bid our first parents continue in the estate 
in which they were created ? 

Ays. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of 
their own will, fell from the estate in which they were 
created, by sinning against God. 

Q. 1. What mean you by the [estate] in which man was 
created 1 

A. His state of innocence, in which he had his standing 
under God, as his great Lord and Creator. 

Q,. 2. What standing had he under God in a state of in- 
nocence 1 

A. Perfect conformity to him ; intimate fellowship and 
communion with him ; and an ample dominion over all the 
work of his hands, in this lower world ; the tree of know- 
ledge of good and evil only excepted. 

Q. 3. By what charter did man hold this state of his 
great Creator 1 

A. By the charter of the covenant of works. 

Q. 4. What remarkable and significant circumstances 
appertained to this charter I 

A. The tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the tree 
of life. 

Q,. 5. What did the tree of knowledge of good and evil 
signify ] 

A. It signified, that, as Adam knew much of his Crea- 
tor's goodness, by what he had done for him, so he was to 
know- much of his displeasure and indignation, if he tasted 
the fruit of that tree. 

Q,. 6. What did the tree of life signify to man 7 

A. That upon his fulfilling the condition of the covenant, 
by a course of obedience, he was to live forever. 

Q,. 7. What do you understand by the course of obedi- 
ence, which Adam had to go through, in order to found his 
covenant title to eternal life 1 

A. A continuance in perfect obedience, during the time 
which God had appointed for his state of probation. 

Q,. 8. When was a state of probation only applicable to 
man 1 

A. It was only applicable to man while in innocence, 
before the breach of the covenant of works ; and by no 
means applicable to man in any other state since the fall. 

Q,. 9. Why is it that no man, since the fall, can justly be 
said to be in a state of probation in this world 1 

A. Because the covenant of works being broken, all the 
children of men are either in a natural state, in the first 
Adam, or in a gracious state in the second; and conse- 



op -adam's fall. 



77 



quently under a dispensation either of divine justice or 
mercy. 

Q. 10. Are not men to have rewards given them accord- 
ing to their good or evil works, and consequently may be 
said to be in a state of probation, as well as Adam was ! 

A. The consequence will not hold ; because these re- 
wards are of another kind than could have taken place 
under the covenant of works, though it had been fulfilled ; 
for now, they are either rewards of impartial justice, for 
evil works, the wages of sin being death ; or rewards of 
free mercy to the doing persons ; not for their good works, 
but according to them, 2 Cor. v. 10. 

Q,. 11. What is it for God to dispense rewards of free 
mercy to his people, not for their good works, but accord- 
ing to them ] 

A. It is to besto w these rewards, not on account of any 
worth or merit that is in their good works, in themselves 
considered, but as they are evidences of union with Christ, 
in ivhom their persons and performances are accepted, 
and through whom the rewards of grace are freely con- 
ferred ; for, " the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus 
Christ our Lord," Rom. vi. 23. 

Q,. 12. Is there any danger in asserting, that men are 
not now in a state of probation, as Adam was ? 

A. No: because though they cannot now be in that 
state, yet God still deals with them as rational creatures, 
under a moral government, and capable of rewards, 
whether of justice or mercy, of debt or grace, according 
to their state and works: hence men are judged at the 
great day, according to their state, as sheep or goats, se- 
parated from one another, and then according to their 
works, Matt. xxv. 32 — 46. 

Q,. 13. What then is the dangerous consequence of 
asserting, that fallen man is still in a state of probation in 
this life 1 

A. This dangerous consequence would follow, that man- 
kind are hereby supposed to be still under a covenant of 
works that can justify the doer; or under a law that can give 
life, besides the law of faith, mentioned Rom. hi. 27, which 
is false : for, if there had been a law given, which could 
have given life, verily righteousness should have been by 
the law, Gal. hi. 21. 

Q,. 14. What improvement ought we to make of this 
doctrine respecting the state of probation 1 

A. To be restless in the use of all appointed means till 
we get in to Christ ; that, in the way of believing and walk- 
ing in him, we may share of the sure reward, promised, 
through grace, " to him that soweth righteousness," Prov. 
xi. 18. 

7* . 



78 



OF adam's fall. 



Q. 1 5. How did our first parents fall from the state in 
which they were created 1 

A. [By sinning against God,] Gen. iii. 6, 7. 

Q,. 16. Were they not sufficiently furnished with every 
thing necessary, for yielding perfect obedience to the will 
of God? 

A. Yes : for they had perfect knowledge in their under- 
standing, freedom and inclination to good in their will, 
and spotless holiness in their hearts and affections, Eccl. 
vii. 29 : " God made man upright." 

Q,. 17. How then did man's sin and apostasy come 
about] 

A. Though he was a perfect, yet he was but a mutable 
creature, [left to the freedom of his own ivill,] which was 
subject to change. 

Q,. 18. In what did the freedom of man's will, in a state 
of innocence, consist ] 

A. In a perfect liberty and " power to will and to do 
that which is good and well pleasing to God ; but yet mu- 
table, so as that he might fall from it, Eccl. vii. 29. Gen. ii. 
16, 17, and iii. 6."* 

Q,. 19. Why did not God make man immutable] 

A. Because immutability, or unchangeableness of na- 
ture, is the essential property of God alone, Mai. iii. 6. — " I 
am the Lord, I change not," James i. 17. 

Q,. 20. Are not elect angels and saints made immutably 
good ] 

A. The elect angels are confirmed in a state of immut- 
able happiness; and the saints, in virtue of union with 
Christ, are fixed in an unchangeable state of grace here, 
and glory hereafter ; but the unchangeable state of the one 
and the other, is not owing to any thing in their own na- 
tures, but to the free love and favour of God, Eph. i. 10. 

Q,. 21. What freedom of will has man, since the fall, to 
any spiritual good ? 

A. He "has wholly lost all freedom and ability of will 
to any spiritual good accompanying salvation," so as that 
he can neither " convert himself, nor prepare himself there- 
unto," John vi, 44, 65. f 

Q. 22. What freedom of will have they who are regen- 
erated 1 

A. They are enabled by grace alone, freely to will and 
to do that which is spiritually good, Rom. vi. 18; yet so 
as that by reason of remaining corruption, they do not 
perfectly, and only, that which "is good, but likewise fre- 
quently that which is evil, Rom. vii. 15, 19, 21 .t 

Q,. 23. When is the will of man made perfectly and im- 
mutably free to that only which is good 1 

Confession, chap. ix. § 2. t Ibid. chap. ix. $ 3. X Ibid. chap. ix. $ 4 



OF adam's fall. 



79 



A. In the state of glory only, Eph. iv. 13. 1 John iii. 2. 
Q,. 24. What was it for man to be left to the freedom of 
his own will ? 

A. It was God's leaving him with a sufficient stock in 
his hand, without any promise of supernatural aid, or 
further assistance to improve the stock of grace already 
received. 

Q,. 25. How was he left to abuse the freedom of his will 1 

A. God did not incline him to abuse it, but only withheld 
that farther grace, which he was no way obliged to give, 
for preventing his will from yielding to the temptation ; 
and was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, 
to permit this abuse, having purposed to order it to his 
own glory, Rom. xi. 32. 

Q,. 26. At whose door then must the fall be laid \ . 

A. Only at man's own door, who willingly yielded to 
the temptation of the devil, James i. 14. 

Q,. 27. What was the devil's agency in the fall of man 1 

A. He entered into a serpent, and therein, by seducing 
words, enticed the woman to take and eat the forbidden 
fruit ; and she gave to her husband, and he did eat like- 
wise, Gen. iii. 5, 6. 

Q,. 28. Why did Satan make use of the serpent, as his 
instrument to seduce the woman 7 

A. Because " the serpent was more subtle than any 
beast of the field," Gen. iii. 1, and so the most fit tool, of 
any other, to serve his subtle and murderous designs, 
John viii. 44. 

Q,. 29. Why was not Eve afraid to entertain converse 
with a serpent, lest it might be actuated by some evil 
spirit 1 

A, It is supposed, that Adam and Eve knew nothing as 
yet of the fall of the angels ; and sin not having then en- 
tered into this lower world, they were not afraid of hurt 
from any of the good creatures of God. 

Q,. 30. Why was there no confirmatory clause annexed 
to the covenant of works, to secure man's standing in the 
state in which he was created 1 

A. Because it so pleased God; and, no doubt, infinite 
wisdom had another scene to open, through the occasion 
of man's fall, by his breaking the first covenant. 

Q,. 31. What was that scene 1 

A. A scene of redeeming love and grace, which will be 
matter of hallelujahs, or praises, to the Lord God and the 
Lamb for ever and ever, Rev. v. 8. 

Q,. 32. Was then the covenant of works a scaffold erect- 
ed for carrying on a more glorious fabric ] 

A. Yes, it was ; for God had said, and purposed from 
eternity, that mercy should be built up for ever, Ps. 
lxxxix. 2. 



80 



OF SIN IN GENERAL. 



Q,. 33. What improvement ought we to make of this 

doctrine of the fall of Adam ! 

A. To be persuaded that the best of creatures, if left to 
themselves, cannot be in safety one moment, Ps. xlix. 12 ; 
that since man could not be his own keeper, much less 
can he be his own saviour, 2 Cor. iii. 5 : to see how dan- 
gerous it is to parley with sin and Satan ; and how much 
we need an interest in the second Adam, to get the loss 
we sustained by the first repaired with advantage ; for he 
has restored that which he took not away, Ps. lxix. 4. 



Quest. 14. What is sin? 

Ans. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or trans- 
gression of, the law of God. 

Q,. 1. In what consisted man's apostasy from God? 

A. In sinning against him, Lam. v. 16. 

Q,. 2. How does it appear that there is such a thing as 
sin in the world 1 

A. The God of truth declares, that all have sinned, Rom. 
iii. 23 ; the broken law cries for vengeance against trans- 
gressors, and by it is the knowledge of sin, Gal. iii. 10. 
Rom. iii. 20 ; conscience, God's deputy in every man's 
bosom, tells him he is guilty, Jer. xiv. 7 ; the reign of 
death, and the groans of the creatures round about us, 
Rom. viii. 22, all bear testimony that there is such a thing 
as sin in the world. 

Q,. 3. Can there be any sin, where there is no law 1 

A. No : " for where there is no law there is no trans- 
gression," Rom. iv. 15. 

Q,. 4. Of whose law is sin a transgression? 

A. Of the law of God. 

Q. 5. What may be understood by [the law of God ?] 
A. All the precepts, or commandments, God has given 
to man as a rule of his obedience. 

Q,. 6. Where is this law of God to be found 1 
A. There was a bright and fair copy of it written upon 
the heart of man in innocence ; but that being, in a great 
measure, lost by the fall, God has written again to us the 
great things of his law, in the scriptures of truth, Ps. cxlvii. 
19, 20. 

Q,. 7. Are all the laws of God mentioned in scripture, of 
binding force now under the New Testament ? 

A. No : the ceremonial law, which was a shadow of good 
things to come, is now abrogated since the coming of 
Christ in the flesh ; and many of the judicial laws, in so far 
as they had a particular relation to the state of the Jewish 



OF SIN IN GENERAL. 



81 



nation, are laid aside; but the moral law is perpetually 
binding on all mankind, in all ages and periods of the 
world, Ps. cxix. 160. 

Q,. 8. Does God require a perfect conformity to this law ] 

A. Yes ; for there is a curse pronounced against every 
one that continues not in all things written in the book of 
the law to do them, Gal. hi. 10. 

Q,. 9. Why is the nature of sin expressed by a [want of 
conformity] to the law ? 

A. To let us know that our very natures, since the fall, 
are sinful, Isa. i. 5, 6 ; that we are now quite destitute of 
that original righteousness and holiness, which we had at 
our creation, Gen. vi. 5; and that every swerving from 
the holy law, even in omitting what it commands is sin, 
as well as in committing what it forbids, Isa. xliii. 22. 

Q,. 10. Why is sin called a [transgression of the laiv ?] 

A. Because the law is the boundary of all our actions ; 
and whenever we sin, we break the boundary and limit 
that God has set us, and so are exposed to the curse of 
the law, Eccl. x. 8. Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 11. Does the law of God extend to the first motions 
of sin in the heart 1 

A. Yes ; for, says the apostle, Rom. vii. 7 — " I had not 
known lust, except the law had said, " Thou shalt not 
covet." 

Q,. 12. How many kinds of sin are there I 

A. Two kinds; original and actual. 

Q,. 13. What do you understand by original sin? 

A. The sin of our nature, which is called original sin, 
because we were " shapen in iniquity, and conceived in 
sin," Ps. li. 5 ; and because it was the first sin of man, 
and is the original and fountain of all actual sin, Matt, 
xv. 19. 

Q,. 14. What do you understand by actual sin I 
A. Every thing that is inconsistent with, and contrary 
to the law, in thought, word, or deed, 1 John iii. 4. 
Q.. 15. How are actual sins divided ) 
A. Into sins of omission and commission. 
Q,. 16. What is a sin of omission'? 

A. It is a neglecting, or forgetting to do that good which 
the law commands, James iv. 17. 

Q,. 17. What is a sin of commission] 

A. It is a doing of what the law of God forbids, Ps. li. 4. 

Q,. 18. Is every sin mortal or deadly 1 

A. Yes : in its own nature, Rom. vi. 16, 21, 23 ; " The 
wages of sin is death." See also, 1 Cor. xv. 56. Gal. 
iii. 10. 

Q,. 1 9. Are all sins pardonable through grace 1 

A. There is pardon through the blood of Christ, for all 



82 



OF SIN IN GENERAL. 



sins, except one, namely, the sin against the Holy Ghost, 
Matt. xii. 31, 32, Mark iii. 28, 29. 

Q,. 20. What is the sin against the Holy Ghost ! 

A. It is a wilful, malicious, and avowed rejection of 
Christ and salvation through him, by a blaspheming apos- 
tate, after manifest conviction of the truth of the gospel- 
report, and some kind of approbation of it, by the com- 
mon influence or operation of the Spirit, Heb. vt 4 — 6 ; 
and x. 26, 27. 1 John v. 16. Mark iii. 29, 30. 

Q. 21. Why is this sin called blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost, Matt. xii. 31 ? 

A. Because it is an opprobrious and reproachful speak- 
ing of, and against the testimony of the Holy Ghost, in 
the word concerning Christ ; with a direct intention to 
disparage his glory, and to disgrace his truth and way ; 
hence called, " a putting him to an open shame," Heb. 
vi. 6. 

Q,. 22. What is the object of this sin, against which it 
is directly levelled ! 

A. It is Christ, and salvation through him, as held out 
in the gospel revelation ; for, it is a " treading under foot 
the Son of God, and accounting the blood of the covenant, 
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing," Heb. 
x. 29. 

Q,. 23. What are the acts of this dreadful sin? 

A. A wilful rejecting, and obstinate opposing of the 
truth of the gospel : a spiteful scoffing at Christianity, and 
the professors of it, joined sometimes with a malicious 
persecution of them; and all these as fruits and concomi- 
tants of a total and final apostasy from the faith. 

Q,. 24. What are the aggravations of this sin ? 

A. Its being committed after a person has " received the 
knowledge of the truth, and tasted the good word of God, 
and the powers of the world to come," Heb. vi. 5, and 
x. 26. 

Q,. 25. Why is it said, that " the blasphemy against the 
Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men"]" Matt, 
xii. 31. 

A. Not because it is above the virtue of the blood of 
Jesus to cleanse from it, but because it despises the only 
sacrifice for sin, and means of pardon ; there being " no 
other name under heaven, given among men, by which 
we must be saved," but that of Jesus, Acts iv. 12, who is 
contemptuously rejected by it, Heb. ii. 2, 3. 

Q. 26. How may a person be assured that he is not 
guilty of this sin? 

A. He may well be assured that this sin is not charged 
on him, if he is afraid that he is guilty of it ; or in the least 
concerned about his unbelief ; or has any desire after sal- 



OF THE FIRST SIN IN PARTICULAR. 



S3 



vation through Christ, and is content to be a debtor to the 
riches of his grace. 

Q,. 27. What may we learn from the nature of sin in 
genera] 3 

A. That it is exceedingly sinful, the greatest of all evils, 
Rom. vii. 13; and, consequently, that it must be the se- 
verest judgment in this world to be given up to it, Ezek. 
xxiv. 13, and the greatest mercy to be delivered from it, 
Matt. i. 21. " 



Quest. 15. What was the sin ivherehy our first pa- 
rents fell from the estate wherein they were created ? 

Ans. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the 
estate wherein they were created, was their eating the 
forbidden fruit. 

Q,. L Why is the fruit called [ forbidden fruit ?] 

A. Because the eating of it was forbidden, under the se- 
verest penalty, Gen. ii. 1 7: " But of the tree of the know- 
ledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it ; for in the 
day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." 

Q. 2. Why did God forbid the eating of this fruit? 

A. To try the obedience of our first parents, and to 
manifest his dominion over them as Lord of all. 

Q,. 3. Were not our first parents guilty of sin before eat- 
ing of the forbidden fruit 1 

A. Yes: they were guilty in hearkening to the devil, 
and believing him, before they actually eat it. 

Q,. 4. Why then is their eating of it called their first sin 1 

A. Because it was the first sin finished, James i. 15, and 
an express violation of the positive precept, Gen. hi. 11. 

Q,. 5. Where was this first sin committed ! 

A. In Paradise, where God had placed the man, and 
created the woman, Gen. ii. 8, 22, and hi. 6. 

Q,. 6. Was there any aggravation of this sin, arising 
from the place where it was committed ] 

A. Yes ; for, in Paradise, our first parents had abun- 
dance of other fruit, and of every thing necessary and de- 
lightful : and, that place being a type of heaven, should 
have even put them on their guard against this, and all 
other sins. 

Q,. 7. When did our first parents eat the forbidden fruit I 
A. It is certain from Ps. xlix. 12, that it was done very 

soon after they were created: "Man being in honour, 

abideth not." 



81 



OF THE FIRST SIN IN PARTICULAR. 



Q. 8. Why did the devil make such haste in tempting 
man to sin ! 

A. Because he did not know how soon man might be 
confirmed in a holy and happy state ; and, in that case, 
become impregnable against all his temptations. 

Q,. 9. How did Satan lay his train for enticing our first 
parents to eat the forbidden fruit % 

A. He attacked the woman, in the absence of her hus- 
band; endeavoured to make her doubt of the truth of 
God's threatening ; presented the object, fruit pleasant to 
the eye ; pretended a greater regard and concern for them, 
than God himself; and laboured to persuade them, that 
they should be like God, in the largeness of their know- 
ledge, upon their eating : all which may be gathered from 
Gen. iii. 1—6. 

Q,. 10. Did the enemy prevail by this stratagem 1 

A. Yes : " the woman took of the fruit, and did eat : 
and gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat," 
Gen. iii. 6. 

Q,. 11. What was the nature of this first sin 1 
A. However light and trivial it may appear in the car- 
nal eye, to eat of a little fruit ; yet, if weighed in God's 
balance, it will be found to be a most heinous sin, and to in- 
corporate many other sins, against the law of God, Hos. vi. 
7: "They like Adam, (margin,) have transgressed the 
covenant." 
Q,. 12. How does that appear? 

A. From our first parents being guilty of manifest un- 
belief, the highest ingratitude, the most intolerable pride 
and ambition, unaccountable inadvertency, most unnatural 
rebellion, and most cruel murder, in their eating the for- 
bidden fruit. 

Q,. 13. How is unbelief included in that sin? 

A. In their giving more credit to the devil, than to God, 
respecting the truth of the threatening, Gen. ii. 17. iii. 4. 

Q,. 14. How were they guilty of ingratitude ? 

A. In contradicting the orders of their bountiful Lord 
and Creator, who had allowed them the use of all the 
other trees of the garden besides, Gen. ii. 16. 

Q. 15. What pride and ambition was there in the first 
sin? 

A. In aspiring to equality with God in his inimitable 
attributes, particularly in infinite knowledge, Gen. iii. 5, 
6: "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And 
the woman saw that the tree was good, — and a tree to be 
desired to make one wise." 

Q,. 16. What inadvertency were our first parents guilty 
•of in eating the forbidden fruit ? 

A. In entering into communication with a creature of 



OF OUR FALL IN ADAM. 



85 



any kind, and however much disguised, about violating 
the express inhibition of their Creator. 

Q. 17. How were they guilty of rebellion in the com- 
mission of this sin 1 

A. By entering into a confederacy with Satan against 
God, and thus virtually choosing him for their god and 
sovereign, instead of the true God, who made them, and 
all other creatures besides. 

Q,. 18. What murder were they guilty of in eating of 
this fruit I 

A. They were guilty of their own death, and the death 
of all their posterity, Rom. v. 12. 

Q,. 19. How was this sin, of eating the forbidden fruit, 
aggravated 7 

A. In being committed when man had full light in his 
understanding ; a clear copy of the law in his heart ; when 
he had no vicious bias in his will, but enjoying perfect 
liberty ; and when he had a sufficient stock of grace in 
his hand, to withstand the tempting enemy ; in being com- 
mitted after God had made a covenant of life with him, and 
given him express warning of the danger of eating this 
E'uit. 

Q. 20. What may we learn from our first parents being 
seduced by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit 1 

A. To resist the first motions of sin in the heart, and 
the temptations of Satan to it, Ps. lxvi. 18; James iv. 7; 
that since man, in innocence, fell before the temptation, 
how easy a prey must fallen man be, if not kept by the 
power of God, through faith, unto salvation ! Ps. xxxix. 
5, 1 Pet. i. 5; and therefore to be strong only "in the 
Lord, and in the power of his might," Eph. vi. 10. 



Quest. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam's first 
transgression ? 

Ans. The covenant being made with Adam, not only 
for himself, but for his posterity ; all mankind, descend- 
ing from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and 
fell with him, in his first transgression. 

Q,. 1. How many public persons, representing mankind 
before God, do we read of in scripture 1 

A. Of two; the first and the last Adam, 1 Cor. xv. 45. 
Q,. 2. Of what covenant was the first Adam the head? 
A. Of the covenant of works, Gen. ii. 16, 17. 
Q,. 3. Of what covenant was the last Adam the head ? 

Part I.— 8 



86 



OF OUR FALL IN ADAM. 



A. Of the covenant of grace and promise, Ps. lxxxix. 
3, 28. 

Q,. 4. Whom did the first Adam represent in the cove- 
nant of works ! 

A. He represented [all mankind, descending from him 
by ordinary generation^] Rom. v. 12, 14. 

Q,. 5. Whom did the last Adam represent in the cove- 
nant of grace 1 

A. All his spiritual seed given him of the Father, John 
xvii. 6. 

Q. 6. Is there any similitude between theirs* and last 

Adam ? 

A. Yes : the first Adam was the " figure of him that was 
to come," Rom. v. 14. 

Q. 7. In what did that figure, or similitude, consist 1 

A. It consisted chiefly in their being, each of them, a 
representing head of their respective seed, 1 Cor. xv. 22. 

Q,. 8. In what consists the dissimilarity, or disparity, 
between these two public persons 7 

A. It is infinitely great beyond all conception: The 
first Adam was made a living soul ; the last Adam was 
made a quickening spirit : the first man is of the earth, 
earthy, a mere man ; the second man is the Lord from 
heaven, Immanuel, God with us, 1 Cor. xv. 45, 47 ; Matt, 
i. 23 : the first Adam, in his best estate, was only a mu- 
table creature ; the last Adam, is the unchangeable God, 
Heb. xiii. 8. 

Q. 9. What relation has the first Adam to all mankind] 

A. A twofold relation ; that of a covenant head, and of 
a natural root. 

Q,. 10. How does it appear that he was a covenant head ; 
or, that the covenant of works was made with him, [not 
only for himself but for his posterity ?] 

A. From the imputation of his first sin to his posterity, 
Rom. v. 12; and the sentence of death passed upon all 
mankind on that account, ver. 17. 

Q,. 11. Was it reasonable, that Adam should represent 
his posterity in the covenant of works ? 

A. Nothing could be more reasonable, seeing he was to 
be the common parent of all mankind, and was created 
perfectly holy, with full power to fulfil the condition of 
the covenant, and thus to entail happiness upon himself 
and his posterity. 

Q,. 12. What happiness would Adam have entailed upon 
himself and his posterity, if he had stood] 

A. Eternal life would have become due to him and 
them, by pactional debt. 

Q,. 13. Would not the title of every one of his posterity 
to life, in that case, have been founded upon their own 
perfect and personal obedience ? 



OF OUR FALL IN ADAM. 



87 



A. No : their title to eternal life would have been found- 
ed upon the perfect obedience of their covenant head; 
and their own personal obedience would have been the 
fruit of the promise of the covenant. 

Q,. 14. How does this appear! 

A. Since Adam's disobedience is imputed to his posteri- 
ty for their condemnation, Rom. v. 18, it necessarily fol- 
lows, that his obedience would have been imputed to them 
for their justification and life. 

Q,. 15. Why is the first Adam called the natural root of 
his posterity. 

A. Because all of them, descending from him by ordi- 
nary generation, are as so many branches sprung out of 
him, as their root and stock. 

Q,. 16. Did all Adam's natural offspring fall in his first 
sin! 

A. Yes ; " death passed upon all men, for that all have 
sinned," Rom. v. 12. 

Q,. 17. How could Adam's posterity, being then unborn, 
fall in his first sin % 

A. Because they were considered as in him, 1 Cor. xv. 
22— " In Adam all die." 

Q. 18. How were they in him when he first sinned % 
• A. They were in him virtually, as a natural root ; and 
representatively, as a covenant head. 

Q,. 19. Why is it said, [all mankind, descending from 
him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell ivith 
him, in hisjirst transgression ?] 

A. That Christ might be excepted, who descended, as 
to his human body, from Adam; but not by ordinary 
.generation. 

Q,. 20. What was there extraordinary in the generation 
of Christ's body ! 

A. It was conceived in the womb of a virgin, by the 
power of the Highest overshadowing her, Luke i. 35 ; on 
which account she is said to be " found with child of the 
Holy Ghost," Matt. i. 18. 

Q,. 21. What was the reason of this extraordinary gene- 
ration 7 

A. That the human nature of Christ might not be stain- 
ed or tainted with original sin, which is" conveyed from 
Adam to his pbsterity, by the way of ordinary generation ; 
hence what was born of the virgin, is called " that holy 
thing," Luke i. 35. 

Q,. 22. Was ever the human nature of Christ represen- 
ted in the first Adam as a federal head ! 

A. By no means : Christ's human nature was never in 
Adam as its representative, but he derived it legally, after 
Adam ceased to be a public person. 

Q,. 23. How did he derive it legally 1 



88 



of man's state by the fall. 



A. In virtue of his being considered as one in lata with 
his spiritual seed, whom he represented as their surety, 
according to his undertaking from eternity, Prov. viii. 23 ; 
and therefore behoved to assume the same nature with 
them, Heb. ii.ll, 14. 

Q,. 24. Was ever any exempted from Adam's first sin, 
except Christ ? 

A. No ; for all others descended from Adam by ordinary 
generation, and were represented by him, as their cove- 
nant head ; and therefore sinned in him, and fell with him 
in his first transgression, Rom. v. 12. 1 Cor. xv. 22. 

Q,. 25. What may all this teach us ! 

A. That " as by one man's disobedience, many were 
made sinners ; so by the obedience of one shall many be 
made righteous," Rom. v. 19; and that "as we have 
borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the 
image of the heavenly" Adam, 1 Cor. xv. 49. 



Quest. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring man- 
kind ? 

Ans. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin 
and misery. 

Q,. L Why is man's apostasy from God called [the 

fall?] 

A. Because man is not now where God set him at his 
creation, but is fallen by his iniquity, Hos. xiv. 1. 

Q,. 2. Where did God set man at his creation 1 

A. Upon the high pinnacle of holiness and happiness, 
Eccl. vii 29. 

Q,. 3. Where is he now 1 

A. He is fallen into the depths of sin and misery, 
called in scripture, a horrible pit, and miry clay, Ps, 
xl. 2, and " the pit wherein is no water," Zech. ix. 11. 

Q,. 4. Why is man's state, by the fall, called an [estate of 
sin ?] 

A. Because he is now under the guilt of sin, Rom. iii. 

19, which has dominion over him, chap. vi. 14. 
Q. 5. Why is it called an [estate of misery ?] 
A. Because, according to the penalty of the law, death 

and the curse involve him in all manner of misery, Rom. 

v. 12. 

Q,. 6. Why is the state of sin put before the state of 
misery 1 

A. Because there could be no misery, if there were no 
sin ; sin being the procuring cause of all misery, Rom. 
vi 23. 



man's natural state. 



89 



ft. 7. How came man into this state of sin and misery 1 

A. By the abuse of his free will ; hence mankind sinners 
are called self -destroyers, Hos. xiii. 9 : " O Israel, thou hast 
destroyed thyself." 

ft. 8. How does the Spirit of God, in scripture, express 
man's state of sin and misery, into which he is fallen I 

A. By a state of darkness, Eph. v. 8 ; a state of distance, 
Eph. ii. 13; a state of condemnation and wrath, John hi. 
18, 36; a state of bondage, or captivity, Isa. xlix. 24, 25; 
and a state of death, both spiritual and legal, Eph. ii. 1. 

ft. 9. Is man in any capacity to help himself out of this 
sinful and miserable state 1 

A. No more than a new-born infant, cast out in the open 
field, which, of all creatures, is the most helpless, Ezek. 
xvi. 4, 5. 

ft. 10. Has he a desire and will to be helped out of a 
state of sin and misery, when help is offered 1 

A. No : his nature is become " enmity against God," 
and the way of salvation proposed in the gospel, Rom. 
viii. 7, Ps. lxxxi. 11; and therefore rejects the only help 
of God's appointment, John v. 40. 

ft. 11. What may we learn from this 1 

A. That the whole world being guilty before God, 
every mouth had been for ever stopped, though he had 
left all mankind to perish eternally with the fallen angels, 
with whom they said, a Confederacy, Rom. iii. 19; and 
therefore to admire the infinite love of God, in sending his 
only begotten Son, to save us from sin, as the only way 
of being saved from misery, Heb. ii. 14, 16. 



Quest. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that 
estate whereinto man fell ? 

Ans. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, 
consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of ori- 
ginal righteousness, and the corruption of his whole na- 
ture, which is commonly called original sin, together with 
all actual transgressions which proceed from it. 

ft. 1. What do you understand by [original sin?] 

A. The sin we have from our original ; that is, when the 

soul is united to the body, or the human nature completed, 

Ps. Ii. 5. 

ft. 2. How is original sin usually distinguished ? 
A. Into original sin imputed, and original sin inherent. 
ft. 3. What is original sin imputed 1 
A. [ The guilt of Adam's first sin.} 



90 



OF THE SINFULNESS OF 



Q,. 4. What is original sin inherent ? 

A. [The iv ant of original righteousness and the corrup- 
tion of the whole nature.'] 

Q,. 5. What do you understand by the [guilt] of sin? 

A. An obligation to punishment on account of sin, Rom, 
vi. 23. 

Q,. 6. How are all mankind guilty of Adam's [first 

sin ?] 

A. By imputation, Rom. v. 19 — " By one man's disobe- 
dience, many were made sinners." 

Q,. 7. Upon what account is Adam's first sin imputed to 
his posterity ? 

A. On account of the legal union between him and 
them, he being their legal head and representative, and 
the covenant made with him, not for himself only, but for 
his posterity likewise, 1 Cor. xv. 22 — " In Adam all die." 

Q,. 8. Why was Adam's first sin imputed, and none of 
his after sins ? 

A. Because the covenant being broken by his first sin, 
his federal headship ceased ; for being then legally dead, 
and his posterity in him and with him, he stood afterwards 
merely as a single person for himself, and no longer in the 
capacity of their public representative in that covenant of 
life, which, by that first sin, brought him and them under 
the sentence of death, Rom. v. 12^ 13. 

Q,. 9. When Adam ceased to be the federal head, by 
breaking the covenant of works, did that covenant cease 
likewise ] 

A. No : that covenant, though broken, stands binding, 
so as the obligation to pay the debt of obedience to the 
precept, and satisfaction now to its penalty, remains upon 
every one of his posterity, while in a natural state, under 
the law as a covenant of works, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q. 10. How does it appear from scripture, that all Adam's 
posterity had his first sin imputed to them ] 

A. From their being said to be 44 made sinners, by one 
man's disobedience," Rom. v. 19; and to have the judg- 
ment, or sentence, by one to condemnation, ver. 16 ; and 
surely there can be no condemnation, passed by a right- 
eous judge, where there is no crime, Rom. iv. 15. 

Q,. 11. Is it not said, Ezek. xviii. 20, 44 The son shall not 
bear the iniquity of the father 1" 

A. The prophet is there speaking of particular private 
parents, not of Adam as a federal head; he is speaking 
of adult children, who were preserved from some grosser 
violations of the law, of which their parents were guilty, 
and who did not imitate them ; not of the posterity of 
Adam in general, as exempting them from his first sin, 
with which the scriptures quoted in answer to the former 
question, plainly prove them chargeable. 



MAN S NATURAL STATE. 



91 



Q,. 12. What is meant by the [ivant of original right- 
eousness ?] 

A. The want of that rectitude and purity of nature, 
which Adam had at his creation ; consisting in a perfect 
conformity of all the powers and faculties of his soul to 
the holy nature of God, and to the law which was written 
on his heart, Eccl. vii. 29. 

Q,. 13. How does it appear that all mankind are now 
destitute of this original righteousness ? 

A. From the express testimony of God, that among all 
Adam's race, there is none righteous, no, not one ; and 
that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified 
in his sight, Rom. iii. 10 — 12, 20. 

Q,. 14. What follows upon this want of original right- 
eousness ? 

A. That all mankind are naked before God; and that 
their fig-leaf coverings will stand them in no stead before 
his omniscient eye, nor answer the demands of his holy 
law, Rev. iii. 17. Isa. lxiv. 6. 

Q,. 15. Does the law of God demand original righteous- 
ness from mankind sinners, though they now want it 1 

A. Yes : their want of it can never derogate from the 
right of the law to demand it, because God endowed man 
with this part of his image, at his creation ; and his want 
of it was owing to his own voluntary apostasy from 
God. 

Q,. 16. Under what penalty does the law demand this 
original righteousness ? 

A. Under the penalty of death and the curse, Rom. vi. 
23. Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 17. Is there no help for a sinner in this deplorable 
state 1 

A. None in heaven or in earth, but in Christ, the last 
Adam, the Lord our righteousness, Jer. xxiii. 6, on whom 
our help is completely laid, Ps. lxxxix. 19. 

Q,. 18. Does original sin consist in a mere privation, or 
want of righteousness ] 

A. It consists also in the corruption of the whole nature, 
Tit. i. 15. Rom. iii. 10—19. 

Q,. 19. What is meant by [the corruption of the whole 
nature ?] 

A. The universal depravation both of soul and body, in 
all the faculties of the one, and members of the other, Isa. 
i. 5, 6. 

Q. 20. How does this corruption of the whole nature 
appear 1 

A. In an utter impotency, and bitter enmity to what is 
spiritually good, Rom. viii. 7, and, in the strongest inclina- 
tion and bias to what is evil, and to that only and continu- 
ally, Gen. vi. 5. 



92 



OF THE SINFULNESS OF 



Q. 21. How may we be certain that our [whole nature] 
is corrupted 1 

A. From the word of God, and from experience and 

observation. 

Q,. 22. How does the ivord of God assure us of the uni- 
versal corruption of our nature 1 

A. It tells us, that the image after which man was at 
first made, and the image after which he is now begotten, 
are quite opposite the one to the other. Adam was at first 
made " in the likeness of God," but having fallen, he " be- 
gat a son in his own likeness, after his own image," Gen. 
v. 1, 3. The scripture assures us, that none "can bring a 
clean thing out of an unclean," Job xiv. 4 ; that we are 
shapen in iniquity, and that in sin did our mothers con- 
ceive us, Ps. li. 5 ; that " that which is born of the flesh is 
flesh," John hi. 6 ; and that we are by " nature children of 
wrath," Eph. ii. 3. 

Q,. 23. How may we know the corruption of our na- 
ture by the experience and observation of things without 
us 1 

A. The flood of miseries which overflow the world ; 
the manifold gross out-breakings of sin in it; and the 
necessity of human laws, fenced with penalties, are clear 
outward evidences of the corruption of our nature. 

Q. 24. What inward evidences may every one of us 
experience within ourselves, of the corruption of our 
nature ? 

A. Each of us may sadly experience a natural disposi- 
tion to hearken to the instruction that causes us to err, 
Prov. xix. 27 ; a caring for the concerns of the body more 
than those of the soul, Matt. xvi. 26; a discontentment 
with some one thing or other in our lot in the present 
world, 2 Kings vi. 33 ; an aversion from being debtors to 
free grace, and an inclination to rest upon something in 
ourselves as the ground of our hope, Rom. x. 3; every 
one of which may be an evidence to ourselves, that our 
nature is wholly corrupted. 

Q,. 25. How is the corruption of nature propagated 
since the fall ? 

A. By natural generation, Job xv. 14 : " What is man 
that he should be clean 1 and he that is born of a woman, 
that he should be righteous f 

Q,. 26. How can this corruption be propagated to the 
soul, seeing it is created immediately by God, and not 
generated with the body 1 

A. As the creating and infusing of the soul are precisely 
at one and the same time, so the very moment the soul is 
united to the body, we become children of fallen Adam, 
not only as our natural, but as our federal head, Rom. 
v. 19. 



man's natural state. 



93 



&. 27. What is the consequence of becoming the child- 
ren of fallen Adam, as our federal head ! 

A. The consequence is, that, the moment we are so, his 
first sin is imputed to us, and we thus become legally and 
spiritually dead, under the curse ; not only wanting origi- 
nal righteousness, but having our whole nature corrupted 
and depraved, 1 Cor. xv. 22 : " In Adam all die." 

Q,. 28. Since, then, the soul of every one is a part of that 
person, which is cursed in Adam, does God, in the creating 
it, infuse any sin or impurity into it 1 

A. By no means ; but only, as a righteous judge, in 
creating the soul, he denies or withholds that original 
righteousness which it once had in Adam; and this he 
does as a just punishment of Adam's first sin. 

Q,. 29. What follows upon God's withholding original 
righteousness from the soul, in its creation ? 

A. The soul being united to the body, in the moment 
of its creation, the universal corruption of the whole man 
follows as naturally upon that union, as darkness follows 
upon the setting of the sun. 

Q,. 30. Can it follow, then, from this doctrine, that God 
is the author of our sin ? 

A. So far from it, that, on the contrary, it evidently fol- 
lows, that our state, both of sin and misery, is the bitter 
fruit of our own voluntary apostasy in the first Adam, as 
our covenant head, having sinned in him, and fallen with 
him in his first transgression. 

Q. 31. Does the holiness of the parents prevent the 
propagation of original corruption to their children ! 

A. By no means : the saints are holy but in part, and 
that by grace, not by nature : wherefore, as after the purest 
grain is sown, we reap corn with the chaff; so the holiest 
parents beget unholy children, and cannot communicate 
their grace to them, as they do their nature, Gen. v. 3. 

Q,. 32. Has this poison of corruption run through the 
whole man ? 

A. Yes : "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart 
is faint ; from the sole of the foot to the head, there is no 
soundness in it," &c. Isa. i. 5, 6. 

Q,. 33. How is the understanding- corrupted ? 

A. With darkness and blindness, so that we cannot 
know and receive the things of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 
ii. 14. 

Q,. 34. How is the will corrupted I 

A. With enmity and rebellion against God ; with oppo- 
sition to his law and gospel ; with aversion from the chief 
good ; and inclination to all evil, Rom. viii. 7. 

Q,. 35. How are the affections corrupted 1 

A. By being displaced and disordered, set upon trifling 



94 



OF THE SINFULNESS OP. 



vanities and sinful pleasures, instead <5f God the supreme 
good, Ps. v. 2, 6. Isa. lv. 2. 

Q,. 36. How is the conscience corrupted? 

A. By not discharging its office faithfully according to 
the law, in accusing or excusing, «fou't many times calling 
" evil good, and good evil," &c. Isa. v. 20. 

Q,. 37. How is the memory corrupted? 

A. It is like the riddle, or sieve, that lets through the 
pure grain and keeps the refuse ; it retains what is vain 
and unprofitable, and forgets what is spiritual and truly 
advantageous, Ps. cvi. 13, 21. 

Q,. 38. How is the body corrupted ? 

A. All the members of it are become instruments, or 
weapons of " unrighteousness unto sin," Rom. vi. 13. 

Q,. 39. Is original sin of its own nature damning ? 

A. Beyond all doubt it is ; because it is in a state of sin 
and spiritual uncleanness we are born, Ps. li. 5. And 
" there shall in no wise enter into the heavenly Jerusalem, 
any thing that defileth," Rev. xxi. 27. The blood of Christ 
is necessary to cleanse from it, as well as from actual sin ; 
for Christ is " the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin 
of the world," both original and actual, John i. 29. 

Q,. 40. How may we" know the being of original sin, an- 
tecedently to the commission of any actual transgression 1 

A. From the severe troubles and distresses to which 
infants are liable, and from death passing upon them be- 
fore they are capable of sinning, after the similitude of 
Adam's transgression ; that is, of committing actual sin, 
Rom. v. 14. 

€t 41. What do you understand by [actual transgres- 
sion] or sin ! 

A. Every deviation from the law of God in our actions, 
whether internal or external. 

Q,. 42. How may actual sin be distinguished from ori- 
ginal ! 

A. As the act is distinguished from the habit ; or a fault 
of the person, from a fault of the nature. 

Q,. 43. Is omission of what is required an actual sin, as 
well as the commission of what is forbidden? 

A. Yes : because all omissions are either accompanied 
with some act of the will consenting, directly or indirectly, 
to it; or they flow from some antecedent act, which is 
either the cause, occasion, or impediment, of the duty 
omitted; as excess in eating and drinking is frequently 
the cause or occasion of omitting the public or private 
duties of God's worship. 

Q,. 44. From whence do all actual transgressions flow ? 

A. They all proceed from original sin, or the corruption 
of nature, as impure streams from a corrupt fountain, Eph. 
ii. 3. James iii. 11. 



man's natural state. 



95 



Q,. 45. What may we learn from the doctrine of original 
sin] 

A. That it is no wonder the grave opens its devouring 
mouth for us, as soon as we come into the world, seeing 
we are all, in a spiritual sense, dead born, Eph. ii. 1; that 
as every thing acts agreeably to its own nature, so cor- 
rupt man acts corruptly, Matt. vii. 17, 18; and, conse- 
quently, we may learn the necessity of regeneration, and 
ingraftment in the second Adam, without which it is im- 
possible we can enter into the kingdom of heaven, John 
iii. 3. 



Quest. 19. What is the misery of tliat estate where* 
into man fell ? 

Ans. All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with 
God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable 
to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the 
• pains of hell forever. 

Q,. 1. What are the branches of man's misery expressed 
in this answer, as the effects of the fall'? 

A. They are these three, the happiness man has lost ; 
the evil he lies presently under ; and the future misery and 
punishment to which he is liable. 

Q. 2. Is the loss which man has sustained by the fall 
great and grievous ] 

A. Yes : it is so great, that we have all reason to cry 
out with the church, " Wo unto us that we have sinned !" 
Lam. v. 16. — " How is the gold become dim ! How is the 
most fine gold changed!" chap. iv. 1. 

Q. 3. What is that great loss which man has sustained 
by the fall ) 

A. He has lost all that good which was promised him 
in the covenant of works, upon condition of his perfect 
obedience. 

Q,. 4. What was the good promised ! 

A. Life in its fullest latitude and extent ; or all the hap- 
piness man was capable of, either in this world, or that 
which is to come. 

Q,. 5. What was man's chief happiness in that state in 
which he was created 7 

A. His chief happiness lay in his enjoyment of fellow- 
ship and [communion with God.] 

Q,. 6. In what did that fellowship and [communion'] con- 
sist? 

A. In the most agreeable intimacy and familiarity that 



96 



OF THE MISERY OF 



" man had with God, in the uninterrupted enjoyment of his 
gracious presence. 

Q. 7. How does it appear that man has [lost] this by the 
fall 1 

A. It appears from his being " without God in the 
world," Eph. ii. 12; and " alienated from the life of God," 
chap. iv. 18. 

Q,. 8. Did this breach of fellowship between God and 
man immediately follow upon the first sin 1 

A. Yes ; for we find that our first parents immediately 
essayed to fly from the presence of God, and to hide 
themselves from him among the trees of the garden, Gen. 
iii. 8. 

Q,. 9. Upon what footing had man fellowship with God 
before the fain 

A. Upon a law footing, namely, his continuing in his in- 
tegrity of nature, and yielding perfect obedience to the 
holy law. 

Q,. 10. Is that door of access to God, and fellowship with 
him, closed and shut against all mankind 1 

A. Yes : because " all have sinned and come short of 
the glory of God," Rom. iii. 23 ; the broken law, and its 
curse, stand as an insuperable bar in our way to God and 
glory, upon the footing of the first covenant, Gal. iii 10. 

Q,. 11. What is the second branch of man's misery] 

A. His being under the [wrath and curse] of God. 

Q,. 12. What is it to be under the [wrath] of God 1 

A. It is to be under his anger, in the sad and dismal 
effects of it, whether in a more visible, or more secret 
way, Ps. xi. 6, and 1. 21. 

Q,. 13. What is it to be under his [curse ?] 

A. It is to be under the sentence of his law, denouncing 
all evil upon the transgressor, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 14. How does it appear that man is now under the 
wrath and curse of God] 

A. From those passages of scripture, where God is said 
to be " angry with the wicked every day," Ps. vii. 11; that 
his " wrath is revealed from heaven against all unright- 
eousness and ungodliness of men," Rom. i. 18; that "he 
who believes not is condemned already, and the wrath of 
God abideth on him," John iii. 18, 36. 

Q,. 15. Is the wrath of an infinite God tolerable by a 
finite creature 1 

A. Oh ! no : " Who shall dwell with devouring fire ! who 
shall dwell with everlasting burnings !" Isa. xxxiii. 14. 
"Who knows the power of his anger!" Ps. xc. 11. It 
makes the whole creation groan, Rom. viii. 22 ; and when 
it lighted upon the Son of God for our iniquities, it crushed 
his human body down to the dust of death, and melted his 
soul like wax in the midst of his bowels, Ps. xxii. 14, 15. 



man's natural state. 



97 



Q. 16. Can any man hide himself from the presence of 
an angry God 1 

A. No : there is no flying from the presence of that God 
who is every where, Ps. cxxxix. 7 — 13. 

Q. 17. What is the third branch of man's misery by the 
fain 

A. He is [liable to all the miseries of this life, to death 
itself and to the pains of hell for ever.] 

Q,. 18. What are these miseries which man is liable to 
in [this life ?] 

A. They are such as extend both to his soul and body. 

Q,. 19. What are these soul miseries and maladies that 
sin has entailed upon us 1 

A. The precious soul is quite defaced, deformed, and 
debased, from its original beauty and excellency, being 
stricken with "blindness of mind, Eph. iv. 18; hardness 
of heart, Rom. ii. 5 ; a reprobate sense, Rom. i. 28 ; strong 
delusions, 2 Thess. ii. 11; horror of conscience, Isa. xxxiii. 
14; vile affections, Rom. i. 26;"* and the thraldom and 
bondage of Satan, Eph. ii. 2. 

Q,. 20. Is there no medicine against these soul maladies 
and miseries ? 

A. Yes : there is "balm in Gilead, and a Physician there," 
Jer. viii. 22; who is " able to save to the uttermost," Heb. 
vii. 25 ; and who says, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, 
all the ends of the earth," Isa. xlv. 22. 

Q. 21. What are those external miseries we are liable 
to in this life ? 

A. They are either more public, such as sword, famine, 
pestilence, desolation by fire and water, captivity, perse- 
cution, and the like, Ezek. v. 17 ; or more private and per- 
sonal, such as diseases of all sorts, reproach and calumny, 
toil and labour, poverty, and crosses of all kinds. Deut. 
xxviii. 16, 17, &c. 

Q,. 22. Do not all these external miseries come alike to 
all, both godly and wicked ] 

A. Yes, as to the external conduct of providence, Eccl. 
ix. 2 ; but to the godly they are only fatherly chastisements, 
and work together for their good, Rom. viii. 28 ; whereas 
to the wicked, they come in a way of vindictive anger, 
and are but the beginnings of sorrows, unless the good- 
ness of God do lead them to repentance, Rom. ii. 5. 

Q,. 23. Has sin any other retinue attending it than what 
has been already mentioned ? 

A. Yes: for like the pale horse, Rev. vi. 8, it has death, 
and then hell following after. 

Q,. 24. What [death] is here intended ? 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 28. 

Part I.— 9 



93 



OF THE MISERY OF 



A. A corporeal or bodily death, which lies in the sepa- 
ration of soul and body. 

Q,. 25. Is sin the cause of death] 

A. It is both the cause of death, Rom. v. 12, and the 
sting of it, 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56. 

Q,. 26. Is the connexion between sin and death insepa- 
rable ! 

A. Yes; they are inseparable by the appointment of 
the righteous God, who has said, " The soul that sinneth, 
it shall die," Ezek. xviii. 4 ; and, " It is appointed unto men 
once to die," Heb. ix. 27. 

Q,. 27. How did this appointment of heaven hold, in the 
case of Enoch and Elijah 1 

A. They underwent what- was equivalent to death in 
their translation to heaven ; it fared with them as it will 
with the saints that shall be alive at Christ's second com- 
ing, concerning whom it is said, " We shall not all sleep, 
but we shall all be changed," 1 Cor. xv. 51. 

Q. 28. What is the difference between the death of be- 
lievers and the death of the wicked ! 

A. To the wicked it comes as standing under a cove- 
nant of works, but to believers as standing under a cove- 
nant of grace ; to the one, in the hand of Christ, saying, 
" Death is yours ;" to the other in the hand of Satan, as 
God's executioner, having the power of death : to the one 
without, but to the other as armed with a fearful sting : to 
the one as an everlasting and irreparable loss ; to the other 
as eternal and unspeakable gain: to the one as a con- 
queror, dragging the sinner to the prison of hell ; to the 
other as a vanquished enemy, paving the way to heaven 
and glory. 

Q. 29. What will be the believer's language when he 
views death approaching in this light 1 

A. Faith will cry out, " O death ! where is thy sting?" 1 
Cor. xv. 55. 

Q. 30. What will be the language of the wicked when 
they see death approaching as the king of terrors 1 

A. It will be like that of Ahab to Elijah, 1 Kings xxi. 20, 
— " Hast thou found me, O mine enemy !" 

Q.. 31. What misery has sin made us liable to after 
death } 

A. [To the pains of h ell for ever.] 

Q. 32. What do you understand by [hell?] 

A. A state and place of torment, prepared for the devil 

and his angels, Matt. xxv. 41. 

Q,. 33. If it was prepared for the devil and his angels, 

what concern have any of mankind with it 1 
A. Though it was prepared for the devil and his angels, 

yet the wicked of the world shall be turned into it also, 

and all the nations that forget God, Ps. ix. 17. 



man's natural state. 



99 



Q,. 34. Why must the wicked and ungodly world be 
turned into hell, with the devil and his angels 1 

A. Because they served and obeyed the devil as their 
god, and were in a confederacy with him against the living 
and true God, Isa. xxviii. 15; Eph. ii. 2. 

Q,. 35. How many fold are the punishments of the 
damned in hell? 

A. Twofold; the punishment of loss, and the punish- 
ment of sense. 

Q,. 36. What loss shall the damned in hell sustain ? 

A. They shall lose God, the chief good, Matt. xxv. 41; 
they shall lose the vision and fruition of the glorious Im- 
manuel, Matt. vii. 23 ; they shall lose their own souls, 
Matt. xvi. 26, and all the pleasures of sin and sense, in 
which they placed their happiness in this world, Luke 
xvi. 25. 

Q,. 37. What will be the punishment of sense which the 
wicked shall suffer in hell 1 

A. It is represented in scripture by their being shut up 
in outer darkness, Matt. viii. 12; in a lake of fire and 
brimstone, Rev. xx. 10, where the smoke of their torment 
shall ascend up for ever and ever, Rev. xiv. 11; which is 
called the second death, chap, xxi.^8, the worm that never 
dies, and the fire that shall never be quenched, Mark 
ix. 44. 

Q,. 38. How do you prove, from scripture, that [thepains 
of hell] shall be [for ever,] or everlasting? 

A. The wicked are said to be " cast into everlasting 
fire," Matt, xviii. 8 ; to " go away into everlasting punish- 
ment," Matt. xxv. 46 ; to be " punished with everlasting 
destruction," 2 Thess. i. 9 ; to have the " mist of darkness" 
reserved for them for ever, 2 Pet. ii. 17; to be "tormented 
day and night, for ever and ever," Rev. xx. 10 ; and by 
several other expressions of the like nature. 

Q,. 39. Is eternity of punishment essential to the threat- 
ening, or penal sanction of the law 1 

A. No ; else there never had been a satisfaction for sin. 

Q,. 40. Whence then arises the eternity of punishment ] 

A. From the nature of the creature, which being finite, 
can never be capable of enduring the uttermost of infinite 
wrath; Ps. xc. 11: "Who knoweth the power of thine 
anger 3" 

Q,. 41. How can it consist with the justice of God, to in- 
flict eternal punishment for temporal sinning 1 

A. Because sin, objectively considered, is an infinite 
evil, as being committed against an infinitely holy God ; 
and therefore nothing can expiate it, but a satisfaction of 
infinite worth, which mere creatures can never yield, 1 
Pet. i. 18, 19. 



100 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



Q,. 42. What sort of sinners shall undergo the most 
dreadful degree of punishment in hell ] 

A. The despisers of Christ and the gospel : it will be 
more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, for Tyre and 
Sidon, who never heard of Christ, than for Chorazin, Beth- 
saida, and Capernaum, and other cities, nations, and per- 
sons, to whom Christ, and his great salvation, have been 
offered, and yet rejected through unbelief, Matt. xi. 21 — 
25 ; Heb. ii. 3. 

Q. 43. What should all this teach us 1 

A. That however sweet sin be in the mouth, it will be 
bitter in the belly, even lamentation, mourning, and ivo, 
in the latter end, Ezek. ii. 10; it should teach us to fly 
from the wrath to come, to the horns of the New Testa- 
ment altar, the satisfaction and intercession of Christ; 
there being no name by which we can be saved from sin 
and wrath, except the name of Jesus only, Acts iv. 12. 



Quest. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in 
the estate of sin and misery 1 

Ans. God having out of his mere good pleasure, from 
all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into 
a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of 
sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salva- 
tion by a Redeemer. 

Q,. 1. What became of the angels that fell, by their 
sinning against God 7 

A. GodTleft them without remedy, in that state of sin 
and misery into which they plunged themselves; and 
hath "delivered them into chains of darkness, to be re- 
served unto judgment," 2 Pet. ii. 4. 

Q,. 2. When man joined with the devil in a conspiracy 
against God, did God treat him the same way ? 

^A. No; he had a purpose of grace and love towards 
some of Adam's race ; and therefore, immediately after the 
fall, declares his fixed intention of assuming the human 
nature, in the person of the Son, that he might redeem lost 
man, and bruise the head of the old serpent, that had 
ruined him, Gen. hi. 15. 

Q,. 3. Y^hen did God's purpose of grace and love, to- 
wards any of Adam's family, commence or begin 1 

A. It never had a beginning ; for he loved them from 
everlasting, Jer. xxxi. 3 ; Eph. i. 4. 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



101 



Q,. 4. Can any reason be given why God has [elected] 
fallen man, rather than fallen angels, and why he elected 
[some] of Adam's race, and not others of them ] 

A. It is dangerous to search into the reasons of holy and 
adorable sovereignty ; it becomes us to acquiesce in this, 
that God did it [out of his mere good pleasure,'] Eph. i. 5 ; 
Matt. xi. 6. 

Q. 5. To what happiness did God ordain his elect from 
among men 1 

A. He ordained them to [everlasting life,] Acts xiii. 48 : 
" As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." 

Q. 6. Did God make choice of any to eternal life, be- 
cause of their foreseen faith and holiness I 

A. No; because faith and holiness are the fruits and 
effects, and therefore can never be the cause of election, 
Eph. i. 4—6. 

Q,. 7. Is Christ the cause of election ! 

A. No ; the free love of God sent Christ to redeem the 
elect, and therefore he could not be the cause of electing 
love, John iii. 16. 

Q,. 8. Did not Christ procure God's love to an elect 
world ? 

A. No: the Father himself loved them, John xvi. 27. 

Q,. 9. If Christ is not the cause of election, why are the 
elect said to be chosen in him } 

A. Because in one and the same decree of election, the 
love of God lighted both upon the head, and upon the 
members, considered as in him, Eph. i. 4. 

Q. 10. By whom is it that God brings any of Adam's 
race to eternal life I 

A. [By a Redeemer,] Rom. xi. 8. 

Q* 11. How are sinners of mankind to be viewed in re- 
lation to a Redeemer 1 

A. As lawful captives, Isa. xlix. 24. 

Q,. 12. What is it to redeem the lawful captives? 

A. It is to pay down a sufficient ransom to offended 
justice for their deliverance, and to rescue them by mere 
force and power out of the hands of Satan, Isa. xlix. 25. 

Q,. 13. What ransom is laid down to offended justice for 
their deliverance 1 

A. Nothing less than " the precious blood of Christ," or 
his obedience unto death, 1 Pet. i. 19. 

Q,. 14. What right and title has the Redeemer, to take 
the captives by force out of the hands of Satan 1 

A. The demands of law and justice being satisfied, he 
has a lawful right, both by donation and purchase, to 
rescue his captives out of the hands of Satan by his divine 
power, John xvii. 2. 

Q. 15. Why did the Redeemer, in dealing with justice, 
9* 



102 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



lay down a price ; but in dealing with Satan, act by way 
of power 1 

A. Because God, being the creditor, had a right to de- 
mand a price, but Satan being only the jailor, has no law- 
right to detain the prisoner, after the creditor is satisfied ; 
and yet, refusing to quit hold of his captives, the Re- 
deemer's power must be put forth for their deliverance, 
Luke xi. 22. 

Q,. 16. Was there a covenant transaction entered into 
for their deliverance, by price and power 1 

A. Yes ; Ps. lxxxix. 3 : " I have made a covenant with 
my Chosen." 

Q,. 17. How is that covenant called! 

A. [A covenant of grace.] 

Q,. 18. Why called a covenant of grace? 

A. Because it is a covenant of eternal life and salvation 
to sinners, to be given them in a way of free grace and 
mercy, Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. 

Q,. 19. Are not heaven and earth both concerned in this 
covenant] 

A. Yes ; because it is a covenant of peace between them, 
Isa. liv. 9, 10. 

Q,. 20. Who is the party contractor on Heaven's side ? 

A. It is God himself, the proposer of the covenant, and 
the offended party, Ps. lxxxix. 3. 

Q,. 21. Whether is it God essentially considered, or as 
in the person of the Father, that is the party-contractor on 
Heaven's side ! 

A. God essentially considered is the party-contractor 
on Heaven's side, in the person of the Father. 

Q,. 22. Who is the party-contractor on man's side 1 

A. It is Christ, the chosen of God, as he is called, Luke 
xxiii. 35. 

Q,. 23. In what does this covenant consist 3 

A. In the mutual agreement between God and his 
chosen One. 

Q,. 24. When was this covenant made I 

A. From all eternity, or before the world began, Tit. 
i. 2. 

Q,. 25. " With whom was the covenant of grace made ]" 
A. " With Christ as the second [or last] Adam ; and in 

him with all the elect as his seed, Gal. hi. 16." * 

Q. 26. Why is Christ called the last Adam ? 1 Cor. 

xv. 45. 

A. Because as the first Adam was the federal head of 
fell his natural offspring, in the covenant of works, so Christ 
is the last Adam, because he was the federal head of his 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 31. 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



103 



spiritual seed in the covenant of grace ; the last covenant 
that ever will be made about man's eternal happiness. 

Q,. 27. How was the covenant of grace made with Christ 
as the second or last Adam? 

A. The Father purposed that a remnant of lost man- 
kind should be the members of Christ's body, and gave 
them to him for that end; and Christ, standing as second 
Adam, accepted the gift, John xvii. 6 ; as a] so, the Father 
proposed to him, as the last Adam, the covenant of grace 
in the full tenor, condition, and promises of it, to which he 
consented ; and thus the covenant of rich grace was con- 
cluded between them ; Zech. vi. 13, " The counsel of peace 
shall be between them both." 

-Q. 28. How are we to conceive of the covenant of grace, 
in respect of order and being 1 

A. Although the covenant of grace was the second cove- 
nant, in respect of order and manifestation to the world, 
yet it was first in respect of being, because it was actu- 
ally made with Christ from eternity, Tit. i. 2. 

Q,. 29. How do you prove from scripture, that there 
was such a covenant made with Christ \ 

A. From Isa. xlii. 6 : " I will give thee for a covenant of 
the people ;" and Heb. viii. 6, where Christ is called " the 
Mediator of a better covenant ;" and from Heb. xiii. 20, 
where we read of " the blood of the everlasting covenant." 

Q,. 30. What was the ancient usage in making of cove- 
nants ? 

A. It was to cut a beast in twain, and to pass between 
the parts of it, Jer. xxxiv. 18. 

Q,. 31. What does this usage import, as applied to God's 
making a covenant with his Chosen? 

A. It imports, that it was a " covenant by sacrifice," 
Ps. 1. 5. 

Q,. 32. What was the sacrifice in this covenant 1 
A. It was Christ himself, the party contractor on man's 
side, Heb. ix. 26. 

Q,. 33. What was the sword that cut this sacrifice asun- 
der] 

A. It was divine justice, Zech. xiii. 7. 

Q,. 34. How is Christ the party contractor on man's side, 
to be considered in this covenant 1 

A. He is to be considered as the head and representa- 
tive of his spiritual seed, Isa. lix. 21. 

Q,. 35. How does it appear that Christ is the head and 
representative of his spiritual seed in this covenant? 

A. From the making of the promises originally to him ; 
and from his being the surety of the covenant. 

Q,. 36. When were the promises made to him 1 

A. Before the world began ; which, in scripture style, is 



104 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



the same as from eternity, Tit. i. 2, " In hope of eternal 
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world 
began." And there was none before the world began, to 
whom the promise of eternal life could be made person- 
ally, but to Christ as the head and representative of his 
seed. 

Gt 37. How do you prove, from scripture, that Christ 
was surety for his spiritual seed in this covenant) 

A. From Heb. vii. 22 : " By so much was Jesus made a 
surety of a better testament." 

Q,. 38. In what sense was he surety for them 1 

A. He was their surety in a way of satisfaction for all 
their debt of obedience and punishment, by taking it 
wholly on himself, as for persons utterly insolvent. 

Q,. 39. How is Christ's being the surety of the covenant, 
an evidence of its being made with him as the represen- 
tative of his seed ) 

A. Because by his being surety for them, he became one 
with them in the eye of the law : hence is Christ said, not 
only to be made sin for us, but we are said to be " made 
the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21. 

Q,. 40. Why was the covenant of grace made with Christ 
as the head and representative of his spiritual seed ] 

A. That the love of God, and the covenant of grace, 
might be of the same eternal date ; for, as the love of God 
is an everlasting- love, Jer. xxxi. 3, so the covenant of 
grace is an everlasting covenant, Heb. xiii. 20. 

Q,. 41. Who is the party represented and contracted for 
in the covenant of grace? 

A. The elect of mankind. 

Q,. 42. What do you understand by the elect of man- 
kind! 

A. A certain number of mankind chosen, from eternity, 
to everlasting life. 

Q,. 43. How does it appear, that the elect were the party 
represented and contracted for 1 

A. Because the party with whom the covenant was 
made is called God's Chosen, Ps. lxxxix. 3 : " I have made 
a covenant with my Chosen ;" that is, with Christ, as con- 
tracting for all the chosen, or elect of God. 

Q,. 44. Why are the elect called Christ's seed? Ps. 
lxxxix. 4. 

A. Because he begets them with the word of truth, 
James i. 18; and they are born again to him in their re- 
generation, John iii. 3. 

Q,. 45. Why is Christ said to take on him the seed of 
Abraham, Heb. ii. 16, and not rather the seed of Adam 1 

A. To show that it was the elect only, whom he repre- 
sented; in as much as the seed of Abraham are but a part 
of Adam's seed, which includes all mankind. 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



105 



Q. 46. How are the elect of God to be considered in this 
covenant and federal representation 1 

A. They are to be considered as lost sinners, and as ut- 
terly unable to help themselves in whole or in part, Hos. 
xiii. 9 ; and yet withal as given to Christ by the Father, as 
objects of eternal, sovereign, and free love, John xvii. 
6, 9. 

Q,. 47. How does the freedom of this electing love 
appear 1 

A. In pitching upon objects altogether unlovely, Ezek. 
xvi. 6. 

Q,. 48. How does the sovereignty of it appear 1 

A. In pitching on some such unlovely objects, and pass- 
ing by others in the same condition, Rom. ix. 21. 

Q,. 49. Was it any disparagement to the federal repre- 
sentation of the second Adam, that he represented only 
some of mankind, whereas the first Adam represented the 
whole of his race 1 

A. No ; because it was unspeakably more for Christ to 
undertake and contract for one sinner, than for Adam to 
contract for a whole righteous world. 

Q,. 50. Is what is called by some divines, the covenant 
of redemption, a distinct covenant from the covenant of 
grace ? 

A. Although Christ alone engaged from eternity to pay 
the price of our redemption, on which account the 
covenant is wholly of free grace to us; yet there is 
no warrant from scripture, to suppose a covenant of 
redemption distinct from the covenant of grace. 

Q,. 51. How many covenants are there for life and 
happiness to man in scripture reckoning 1 

A. They are but two in number : of which the covenant 
of works is one, and consequently the covenant of grace 
must be the other. 

Q,. 52. How do you prove from scripture, that there are 
only ttvo covenants, of which the covenant of works is 
one 1 

A. From Gal. iv. 24, where it is said — " These are the 
two covenants, the one from mount Sinai, which gender- 
eth to bondage." 

Q,. 53. How does it appear that the one from Mount 
Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, is the covenant of 
works 1 

A. Because the generating of bond children, excluded 
from the inheritance, Gal. iv. SO, is a distinguishing char- 
acter of the covenant of works, which cannot agree 
to the covenant of grace under any dispensation of it. 

Q. 54. Was then the covenant at Mount Sinai a cove- 
nant of works 7 

A. The covenant of works was only repeated at Mount 



106 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



Sinai, together with the covenant of grace ; to show to all 
Israel, that the clearing of both the principal and penalty 
of the covenant of works was laid on Christ, as the con- 
dition of the covenant of grace. 

Q. 55. Does the scripture make mention of the blood of 
any more than one covenant ? 

A. The scripture makes mention of the blood of the 
covenant, in the singular number, four several times, 
namely, Ex. xxiv. 8 ; Zech. ix. 11; Heb. x. 29, and xiii. 20 ; 
but nowhere speaks of the blood of the covenants, in the 
plural number. 

Q,. 56. What is the native consequence of the scripture's 
mentioning the blood of the covenant, in the singular 
number, and not the blood of the covenants in the plural 
number 1 

A. The consequence is, that the covenant, the blood of 
which the scripture mentions, and upon which our salva- 
tion depends, is but one covenant, and not two. 

Q,. 57. What is the received doctrine in our standards 
upon this head 1 

A. Our standards make no distinction between a cove- 
nant of redemption, and a covenant of grace.* 

Q. 58. Is the covenant of grace conditional, or absolu- 
tely free I 

A. It was strictly conditional to the Surety, Isa. xlix. 3, 
but is absolutely free to the sinner, Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. 

Q,. 59. What is the proper condition of the covenant of 
grace ? 

A. It is Christ, as representative and surety, his ful- 
filling all righteousness, owing to God by his spiritual 
seed, in virtue of the broken covenant of works, Matt, 
iii. 15. 

Q,. 60. In what consists that righteousness which Christ 
had to fulfil, as the condition of the covenant of grace ? 

A. In the holiness of his human nature, perfect confor- 
mity to the law in his life, and satisfaction for sin in his 
death. 

Q,. 61. Why was holiness of nature necessary as a con- 
ditionary article of the covenant ! 

A. Because nothing being so opposite to God as an un- 
holy nature, and yet the elect having their natures wholly 
corrupted, it was therefore necessary, that Christ, their 
representative, should have a human nature perfectly pure 
and holy, fully answering for them the holiness and per- 
fection of nature required by the law, Heb. vii. 26. 

* For proof of this, see Larger Catechism, Quest. 31, " With whom 
was the covenant of grace made? - Ans. The covenant of grace was 
made with Christ, as the second Adam, and in him, with all the elect 
as his seed, Isa. liii. 10, 11; Rom. v. 15, to the end, Gal. iii. 16." 



OF THE COVENANT OF GPvACE. 



107 



Q. 62. Why was righteousness of life, or perfect con- 
formity to the law, necessary as a conditionally article of 
the covenant % 

A. Because Adam, as a public head, having failed in his 
obedience, there could be no entering into life for him, or 
any of his natural seed, without keeping the command- 
ments by the Surety, Matt. xix. 17: " If thou wilt enter into 
life, keep the commandments." 

Q,. 63. Has Christ fulfilled this part of the condition ? 

A. Yes; for, "he became obedient unto death," Phil, 
ii. 8. 

Q,. 64. Was satisfaction for sin any part of the condi- 
tion of Adam's covenant ] 

A. No : holiness of nature, and righteousness of life, 
were the sole condition of it. 

Q. 65. How then came satisfaction for sin to be a con- 
ditionary article in the new covenant 1 

A. Because the covenant of works being broken, and 
the penalty of it incurred, the holiness, justice, and vera- 
city of God insisted, that without shedding of blood, there 
should be no remission, Heb. ix. 22. 

Q,. 66. What was the conditionary article of the cove- 
nant relative to satisfaction for sin 1 

A. That all the sins of an elect world, being summed up 
as so many branches of the law, or covenant of works, 
Christ, as a public person, should satisfy publicly and com- 
pletely for them all, Isa. liii. 5, 6. 

&. 67. How was he to make this satisfaction 1 

A. By suffering, Luke xxiv. 26 : " Ought not Christ to 
have suffered these things ?" 

Q,. 68. What was it that he had to suffer 1 

A. The very same punishment the elect would have 
undergone, for the breach of the covenant of works ; that 
is, death, in its fullest latitude and extent, Gen. ii. 17, com- 
pared with 2 Cor. v. 14. 

Q. 69. What is that death in the fullest latitude and 
extent which Christ had to endure, in satisfaction for sin 1 

A. It was both the curse, or sentence, of the broken law, 
binding him over, as the Surety, to suffer all that avenging 
wrath which sin deserved ; and likewise the actual exe- 
cution of this sentence upon him to the uttermost, for the 
full satisfaction of justice, Gal. iii. 10; Ezek. xviii. 4. 

Q,. 70. Has Christ fulfilled this part of the condition'? 

A. Yes; he was "made a curse for us," Gal. iii. 13; 
" and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice 
to God for a sweet-smelling savour," Eph. v. 2. 

Q,. 71. How does it appear, that this righteousness of 
Christ is the condition of the covenant of grace ? 

A. Because his fulfilling all righteousness is the only 
ground of a sinner's right and title to eternal life, Rom. v. 



108 



OP THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



21; and the sole foundation of his plea before God, Phil, 
iii. 8, 9. 

Q,. 72. Why may not faith, or believing, be the condition 
of the covenant of grace 1 

A. Because faith Is promised in the covenant itself, Zech. 
xii. 10, and therefore cannot be the condition of it. 

Q. 73. May not faith be the condition, when the scrip- 
ture says, that Abraham's faith " was counted unto him 
for righteousness ?" Rom. iv. 3. 

A. It was the object upon which Abraham's faith ter- 
minated, namely, Christ and his righteousness, and not 
his faith itself, or his act of believing, that was counted to 
him for righteousness. 

Q,. 74. What place then has faith in the covenant? 

A. It has the place of an instrument and gift; and is 
necessary, as such, savingly to interest us in Christ,* John 
i. 12 ; and to determine us to acquiesce in his fulfilling the 
condition of the covenant for us, Isa. xlv. 24. 

Q,. 75. What may we learn from the conditionary part 
of the covenant, as fulfilled by Christ ? 

A. That the redemption of the soul is precious, being 
ransomed at no less a sum than the holy birth, righteous 
life, and satisfactory death of the Son of God, 1 Pet. i. 19; 
and that the law is so far from being made void through 
faith, that it is established by it, Rom. iii. 31. 

Q,. 76. Seeing in every covenant there is a promise, what 
are the promises of the covenant of grace ] 

A. They are such as have either their direct and imme- 
diate effect upon Christ himself, as the Head ; or such as 
have their direct and immediate effect on the elect, com- 
prehended with him in the covenant. 

Q,. 77. What are these promises that have their direct and 
immediate effect on Christ himself, as the head of the cove- 
nant 1 

A. The promise of assistance in his work, Ps. lxxxix. 
21; of the acceptance of it, Isa. xlii. 21; and of a glorious re- 
ward to be conferred upon him, as the proper merit of his 
ivork done, Isa. Iii. 13. 

Q,. 78. What are those promises that have their direct 
and immediate effect upon the elect 1 

A. They are all the promises pertaining to life and god- 
liness ; the promises of grace and glory, and of every good 
thing; which may all be comprehended in this one, to 
wit, the promise of eternal life, mentioned, Tit. i. 2: "In 
hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, hath pro- 
mised before the world began ;" and 1 John ii. 25 : " This 
is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." 

Q,. 79. What is meant by the promise of eternal life ? 



* Larger Catechism, Answer to Quest. 32. 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



109 



A. It comprehends in it all true happiness, and its ever- 
lasting continuance, 

Q. 80. How is it evident, that all true and eternal happi- 
ness is comprehended in the meaning of the promise of 
eternal life 1 

A. In as much as the death threatened in the covenant 
of works, included all misery in this world, and the world 
to come : so the life promised in the covenant of grace 
must needs comprehend all happiness in time and eternity, 
with all the means by which it is effected, Rom. vi. 23 

Q,. 81. To whom was this promise of eternal life made? 

A. To Christ primarily, and to the elect secondarily in 
and through him : as is evident from Tit. i. 2, compared 
with 1 John ii. 25. 

Q,. 82. To whom are the promises of the covenant en- 
dorsed or directed ? 

A. To all who hear the gospel, with their seed, Acts ii. 
39 : " The promise is to you, and to your children." 

Q. 83. What right to the promises have all the hearers 
of the gospel, by this general endorsement of them ? 

A. A right of access to the promises, and all the good 
that is in" them, so as to be rendered inexcusable if they 
believe not, John iii. 18. 

Q,. 84. What right does faith, or believing, give to the 
promises 1 

A. A right of possession, in virtue of union with Christ, 
in whom all the promises are yea, and amen ; John iii. 36 : 
" He that belie veth — hath everlasting life." 

Q,. 85. What may we learn from the promissory part of 
the covenant? 

A. That all the benefits of it are the free gifts of grace, 
running in the channel of the obedience and death of 
Christ ; and are in him perfectly sure to the elect seed, 
Isa. lv. 3. 

Q,. 86. Was there may penalty in the covenant of grace, 
as there was in the covenant of works ? 

A. Although there was a penalty in the covenant of 
works, because Adam, with whom it was made was a, fal- 
lible creature ; yet there could be none in the covenant of 
grace, because Christ, the party contracting on man's side, 
was absolutely infallible, and could not fail, Isa. xiii. 4. 

Q,. 87. Are not the elect, the party contracted for, fallible, 
even after they are brought to believe 1 

A. It is certain, that believers are fallible, in respect of 
their actions, as long as they are in this world, Eccl. vii. 
20, but not in respect of their state, Job xvii. 9 ; they can 
no more fall from their state of grace, than the saints in 
heaven can, John xiii. 1. 

Q,. 88. Can fatherly ch astisements be called a penalty in 
the covenant of grace, with respect to believers'? 

Part L— 10 



110 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



A. No; because they are not vindictive, but medicinal, 
and reall3 r belong to the promissory part of the covenant ; 
as is evident from Ps. lxxxix. 30 — 35 ; Isa. xxvii. 9 ; Heb. 
xii. 6, 7. 

Q. 89. What security have believers against any proper 
penalty in this covenant ? 

A. They have the security of Christ's performing the 
condition of it for them ; and his doing so legally sustained 
in their favour, 2 Cor. v. 21. 

Q,. 90. On whom is the administration of the covenant 
of grace devolved? 

A. On Christ the second Adam, alone, and that, as a 
reward of his work, Isa. xlix. 8. 

Q,. 91. What do you understand by the administration 
of the covenant? 

A. The entire management of it, by which it may be 
rendered effectual to the end for which it was made, Ps. 
lxxxix. 28. 

Q. 92. Who are the objects of this administration 1 

A. Sinners of mankind indefinitely, or any of the family 
of Adam, without exception, John iii. 14, 15. 

Q. 93. How does he administer the covenant to sinners 
of mankind indefinitely T 

A. In the general offer of the gospel, which is "good 
tidings to all people," Luke ii. 10 ; in which all, without 
exception, are declared welcome, Prov. viii. 4; Mark 
xvi. 15. 

Q. 94. What is the foundation of the unlimited adminis- 
tration of the covenant, in the gospel offer 1 

A. It is not founded on election, but on the intrinsic suf- 
ficiency of Christ's obedience and death for the salvation 
of all, John i. 29. 

Q,. 95. For what end does he thus administer the cove- 
nant to sinners of mankind ! 

A. [To deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, 
and to biding them into an estate of salvation,'] Gal. iii. 21, 22. 

Q,. 96. How does he bring them into a state of salva- 
tion ? 

A. By bringing them personally and savingly into the 
" bond of the covenant," Ezek. xx. 37, in the day of his 
power; when "one shall say, I am the Lord's — and an- 
other subscribe with his hand unto the Lord," Isa. xliv. 5. 

Q,. 97. How long will he continue to be the administra- 
tor of the covenant ? 

A. As he dispenses all the blessings of the covenant 
here, John iii. 35, so he will complete the happiness of the 
saints, in the other world, by a perfect accomplishment of 
all its promises to them, Eph. v. 27. 

Q. 98. How does it appear that he will be the adminis- 
trator of the covenant through eternity ] 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



Ill 



A. Because he is to remain the eternal bond of union, 
Heb. vii. 25, and medium of communication, between God 
and the saints for ever, Rev. vii. 17. 

Q. 99. What is the first and fundamental act of his 
administration 1 

A. It is his disposing the all things, which he has in his 
hand, as the appointed trustee of the covenant, to poor 
sinners, by way of a testament, Luke xxii. 29 : "I ap- 
point (or dispose) unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath 
appointed unto me." 

Q,. 100. What is the difference between & federal and a 
testamentary disposition ? 

A. A federal disposition is made upon a weighty cause, 
or proper condition ; but a testamentary disposition is a 
deed, or conveyance, of grace and bounty, without all 
conditions, properly so called. 

Q,. 101. How is this applied to the Father's disposition 
and to Christ's 1 

A. The Father's federal disposition of all covenant- 
benefits to Christ, was on condition of his making " his 
soul an offering for sin," Isa. liii. 10; but Christ's testa- 
mentary disposition to sinners, who have nothing, is " with- 
out money and without price," chap. lv. 1. 

Q,. 102. Is Christ's testament of the same date with the 
covenant that was made with him? 

A. The covenant of grace was made with him from 
eternity ; but it is obvious, that his commencing testator 
of this covenant, being an act of his administration of it, 
could not take place till the covenant of works was broken. 

Q,. 103. At what time, then, did he make his testament 1 

A. The very day in which Adam fell — in the first pro- 
mise, Gen. iii. 15. 

Q,. 104. How could his testament be of force, (according 
to Heb. ix. 17,) so long before his actual death] 

A. He died typically, in all the sacrifices of the Old Tes- 
tament ; hence he is called, " The Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world," Rev. xiii. 8. 

Q. 105. Who are the legatees, or parties in whose favour 
the testament was made 1 

A. Since Christ is authorized by the Father, to admin- 
ister the covenant to mankind sinners indefinitely, John vi. 
37, none of these can be excepted out of his testament, as 
to the external revelation and exhibition of it, any more 
than they are out of his administration, Rev. xxii. 17. 

Q,. 106. Who is the executor of his testament 1 

A. Although in testaments among men, the testator and 
executor are always different persons, because the testator 
dying, cannot live again to see his will executed ; yet here 
the testator, who was dead, is alive for evermore, as the 



112 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



executor of his own testament, by his Spirit, Rev. i. 18, 
Rom. iv. 25. 

Q,. 107. What are the legacies left in his testament \ 
A. They are all the benefits of the covenant, even him- 
self, and all things in and with him, Rom. viii. 32 ; Rev. 
xxi. 7. 

Q. 103. By what means is it that sinners are possessed 
of these rich legacies 3 

A. By faith, or believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 
xvi. 31. 

Q. 109. Why is believing on Christ the appointed means 
of instating sinners in the covenant and legacies thereof? 

A. Because the grace of the covenant is thus preserved 
entire, " to the end the promise might be sure to all the 
seed," Rom. iv. 16. 

Q,. 110. How may persons know, if they are savingly 
and personally within the covenant of grace V 

A. If they have found themselves unable to dwell any 
longer within the boundaries of the covenant of works, 
and "have fled for refuge," from that covenant, "to lay 
hold upon the hope set before them," Heb. vi. 18. 

Q, 111. In what respects do the covenants of works and 
of gr ace differ from one another] 

A. They differ in their nature, parties, contractors, pro- 
perties, conditions, promises, the order of obedience, in 
their end and design, the manner of their administration, 
and in their effects. 

Q,. 1 12. How do these two covenants of works and grace 
differ in their nature ? 

A. The covenant of works was a covenant of friendship, 
and supposed the parties to be in a perfect amity ; but the 
covenant of grace is a covenant of reconciliation, and sup- 
poses man to be at variance with God, and enmity against 
him, 2 Cor. v. 19. 

Q,. 113. How do they differ as to the parties contrac- 
tors ? 

A. In the covenant of works, the parties contractors 
were, God and innocent Adam, representing all his natural 
seed ; but in the covenant of grace, the parties are, God, 
and Christ the second Adam, representing all his spiri- 
tual seed, Ps. lxxxix. 3, 4. 

Q,. 114. How do they differ in their properties ? 

A. The covenant of works, as standing with the first 
Adam, was but short-lived ; but the covenant of grace, 
which stands fast with the second Adam,, is an everlasting 
covenant, Heb. xiii. 20 : the covenant of works denounced 
nothing but wrath and curse upon the transgressor ; but 
the covenant of grace is full of blessings to the sinner, in 
Christ, Eph. i. 3. 

Q,. 115. How do they differ in their conditions ? 



OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE. 



113 



A. The condition of the covenant of works was only 
the perfect obedience of a mere man, bearing no proportion 
to the life promised ; but the condition of the covenant of 
grace is the perfect righteousness of God-man, which is 
fully adequate to the promised reward, Jer. xxiii. 6. 

Q,. 116. How do they differ in their promises 1 

A. The promises of the covenant of works were strictly 
conditional ; but the promises of the covenant of grace, as 
respecting us, are absolutely free, Jer. xxxi. 33, 34. 

Q,. 117. In what respect do they differ in the order of 
obedience ? 

A. In the covenant of works, duty, or obedience, was 
the foundation of privilege ; acceptance first began at the 
work, and then went on to the person, if the work was 
perfectly right ; but, in the covenant of grace, this order is 
quite inverted ; for in it privilege is the foundation of duty ; 
and acceptance first begins at the person, and then goes on 
to the work, because flowing from a principle of faith : Gen. 
iv. 4, compared with Heb. xi. 4. 

Q,. 118. How do they differ in their end and design ? 

A. The end of the covenant of works was to show man 
what he was to do towards God ; but the end of the cove- 
nant of grace, is to show man what God is to do for him, 
and in him, Isa. xxvi. 12. 

Q,. 119. How do they differ in the manner of their ad- 
ministration ? 

A. The covenant of works was dispensed by God, abso- 
lutely considered ; but the covenant of grace is dispensed 
by a Mediator, who is himself the all of the covenant, 
Isa. xlii. 6. 

Q,. 120. How do these two covenants differ in their 
effects ? 

A. The covenant of works wounds and terrifies a guilty 
sinner; but the covenant of grace heals and comforts a 
wounded soul, Isa. xlii. 3 : the covenant of works shuts up 
to hell and wrath ; but the covenant of grace casts open a 
door of escape, John x. 9 ; and xiv. 6. 

Q. 121. What may we learn from this whole doctrine 
of the covenant of grace 1 

A. That it is our duty to believe that Jesus Christ is the 
Saviour of the world, and our Saviour in particular, by 
his Father's appointment, and his own offer ; and that by 
the same appointment and offer, his righteousness, which 
is the condition of the covenant, and eternal life, which is 
the promise of it, are ours in respect of right to it, so as 
that we may lawfully and warrantably take possession of 
the same, and use them as our own, to all the intents and 
purposes of salvation : John iv. 42, " We know that this is 
indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world :" Luke i. 47 
" My spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour." 

10* 



114 



OF THE ONLY REDEEMER. 



Quest. 21. Who is the Redeemer of God's elect 1 

Axs. The only Redeemer of God's elect, is the Lord 
Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became 
man, and so was, and continues to be God and man, in 
two distinct natures, and one person, for ever. 

Q,. 1. What is the greatest wonder the world has ever 
beheld ! 

A. The incarnation of the Son of God, John i. 14 ; Jer. 
xxxi. 22. 

Q,. 2. What makes this the greatest wonder 1 

A. Because by it two natures, infinitely distant, are 

united in one person; hence called "a great mystery," 

1 Tim. hi. 16. 

Q,. 3. Was this great event foretold before it came to 
pass \ 

A. Yes : God spake of it " by the mouth of his holy pro- 
phets, which have been since the world began," Luke 
i. 70. 

Q,. 4. By what names did they speak of his coming 1 

A. By a variety of names, such as Shiloh, Gen. xlix. 10; 
Messiah, Dan. ix. 25 ; Immanuel, Isa. vii. 14 ; the Branch, 
Zech. vi. 12; the Messenger of the covenant, Mai. iii. 1; 
and several others. 

Q,. 5. Is he now actually come into the world? 

A. Yes, long since: and "it is a faithful saying, and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the 
world," 1 Tim. i. 15, "not to condemn the world, but 
that the world through him might be saved," John iii. 17. 

Q,. 6. How do you prove, that our Lord Jesus Christ is 
the true promised Messiah ? 

A. By this one argument : that " all things which were 
written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in 
the Psalms," concerning the Messiah, are literally fulfilled 
in Jesus of Nazareth, Luke xxiv. 44. 

Q,. 7. How does this appear 1 

A. By comparing every prophecy and promise concern- 
ing him in the Old Testament, with the exact accomplish- 
ment of it in the New, Acts iii. 18. 

Q,. 8. What silencing questions may be put to the Jews, 
w r ho assert that the Messiah is not yet come in the flesh ? 

A. They may be asked, Where is the sceptre of civil 
government, which was not to depart from Judah until 
Shiloh came, according to Gen. xlix. 10 1 Where is the 
second temple, into which the Messiah was to come, and 
to make the glory of it greater than the glory of the former, 
by his personal appearance in it, according to Hag. ii. 9 ? 



OF THE ONLY REDEEMER. 



115 



Where is the sacrifice and oblation now offered ) has it 
not long since ceased, according to Dan. ix. 27) And 
where is the family of David, out of which Christ was to 
spring, according to Isa. xi. 1] is it not now quite extinct) 
They are utterly incapable of answering any of these. 

Q. 9. What does the title of a [Redeemer] suppose with 
reference to the redeemed ? 

A. Bondage and captivity to sin, Satan, the world, death, 
and hell, through the breach of the first covenant ; hence 
called lawful captives, Isa. xlix. 24. 

Q,. 10. Are all mankind, the elect of God as well as 
others, by nature under this bondage and captivity] 

A. Yes ; as is evident from Eph. ii. 1 — 3. 

Q. 11. Why is Christ called the [only] Redeemer of God's 
elect ? 

A. Because there was none capable of the vast under- 
taking but himself, Isa. lxiii. 5. 

Q,. 12. How does Christ redeem the elect from their spi- 
ritual bondage and captivity f 

A. By price and power; or by ransom, 1 Pet. i. 19, and 
conquest, Isa. xlix. 25. 

Q,. 13. What ransom or price did he lay down) 

A. His own life, Matt. xx. 28, " The Son of man came — 
to give his life a ransom for many." 

Q,. 14. How does Christ redeem by power or conquest? 

A. When, by his word and Spirit, he breaks the bonds 
of the captives, and says " to the prisoners, Go forth ; and 
to them that sit in darkness, Show yourselves," Isa. xlix. 
9 ; and thus spoils principalities and powers, Col. ii. 15. 

Q,. 15. Why is the Redeemer called [Lord?] 

A. Because, as God, he " whose name alone is Jehovah, 
is most high over all the earth," Ps. lxxxiii. 18 ; and, as 
Mediator, " all power in heaven and earth is given unto 
him," Matt, xxviii. 18. 

Q. 16. Why is he called [Jesus ?] 

A. Because he saves his people from their sins, Matt, 
i. 21. 

Q, 17. Why is he called [Christ ?] 

A. Christ in the Greek, and Messiah in the Hebrew lan- 
guage, signify one and the same thing, John i. 41, to wit, 
the Anointed, Acts x. 38 ; which implies his designation to, 
and his being fully qualified for his mediatory office. 

Q,. 18. Upon what is Christ's sufficiency for the great 
work of our redemption founded ) 

A. Upon the infinite dignity of his person, as [being- the 
eternal Son of God,] 1 John v. 20. 

Q,. 19. Is Christ the Son of God by nature, or only by 
office ? 

A. Christ is the eternal Son of God by nature ; his Son- 



116 



OP THE ONLY REDEEMER. 



ship is equally natural and necessary with the Paternity 
of the Father, Matt, xxviii. 19 ; 2 John ver. 3. 

Q,. 20. What would be the danger of asserting, that 
Christ is called the Son of God only with respect to his 
mediatory office 1 

A. This would make his personality depend upon the 
divine will and good pleasure, as it is certain his mediatory 
office did, John hi. 16 ; and, consequently, he would not 
be the self-existent God. 

Q. 21. Might not the Sonship of Christ be the result of 
the divine will, though his personality is not 1 

A. No : because his Sonship is his proper personality , 
and therefore to make his Sonship the result of the divine 
will, is to overturn the personal properties of the Father 
and Son, and, consequently, to deny both, 1 John ii. 23. 

Q,. 22. How do you prove, from scripture, that Christ's 
Sonship is distinguished from his office ] 

A. From John vii. 29; where Christ, speaking of his 
Father, says, " I know him, for I am from him, and he hath 
sent me." Where it is evident, that his being from the 
Father, as to his eternal generation, is distinguished from 
his being sent by him, as to his office. 

Q,. 23. What did this glorious person, the eternal Son of 
God, become, that he might be our Redeemer 1 

A. He [became man,] John i. 14; Gal. iv. 4. 

Q,. 24. When he became man did he cease to be God ! 

A. No ; but he became Immanuel, God-man, Matt, 
i. 23. 

Q,. 25. What is the import of the name Immanuel ? 

A. It imports, that God is in our nature ; and that a God 
in our nature is not against us, but a God with us, and for 
us, to save us from the hands of ail our enemies, Luke 
i. 71. 

Q,. 26. What moved God to become man, in the person 
of the Son * 

A. Nothing but matchless and undeserved grace and 
love, 1 John iv. 10. 

Q,. 27. How many [natures] has Christ 1 

A. Two : namely, the nature of God, and the nature of 
man, 1 Tim. iii. 16. 

Q,. 28. Why are they called [two distinct] natures ! 

A. In opposition to the error of the Eutychians of old, 
who maintained, that the two natures were mixed or 
blended together, so as to make but one nature. 

Q,. 29. Why is he said to have but [one person ?] 

A. In opposition to the error of the Nestorians, who 
maintained, that each nature was a person; or, that he 
had two persons. 

Q,. 30. How does it appear, that the two natures of God 
and man are united in the person of the Son 1 



OF THE ONLY REDEEMER. 



117 



A. From Isa. ix. 6 : " Unto us a child is born — and his 
name shall be called — The mighty God." It neither being 
possible nor true, that he who is the child born, could be 
the mighty God, except by union of the divine and human 
natures in one person, Rom. ix. 5; 1 Tim. iii. 16. 

Q,. 31. Will ever the union between the two natures be 
dissolved 1 

A. By no means : for he is, and will continue to be our 
Kinsman, Priest, and Representative, in both natures for 
ever, Heb. vii. 24, 25. 

Q,. 32. Does not each nature, notwithstanding of this 
union, still retain its own essential properties ? 

A. Yes : the divine nature is not made finite, subject to 
suffering or change; nor is the human nature rendered 
omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, as the Lutherans, 
contrary to scripture and reason, affirm. 

Q. 33. Are not the acts and works of either of the two 
natures, to be ascribed to the person of Christ ? 

A. Yes : because all he did and suffered, or continues 
to do, as Mediator, must be considered as personal acts, 
and from thence they derive their value and efficacy, Acts 
xx. 28. 

Q,. 34. Why is the union of the two natures called a 
hypostatical or personal union 1 

A. Because the human nature is united to, and subsists 
in the person of the Son of God, Luke i. 35. 

Q,. 35. What is the difference between the hypostatical 
union, and the union that takes place among the persons 
of the adorable Trinity 1 

A. The union that takes place among the persons of the 
adorable Trinity, is a union of three persons in one and 
the same numerical nature and essence ; but the hypostati- 
cal is a union of two natures in one person. 

Q. 36. What is the difference between the hypostatical 
union, and the union that takes place between the soul 
and body 1 

A. Death dissolves the union that is between the soul 
and the body ; but though the soul was separated from the 
body of Christ, when it was in the grave, yet both soul 
and body were, even then, united to the person of the Son 
as much as ever. 

Q,. 37. What is the difference between the hypostatical 
union, and the mystical union that is between Christ and 
believers 1 

A. Both natures in the hypostatical union are still but 
one person ; whereas, though believers are said to be in 
Christ, and Christ in thern^ yet they are not one person 
with him. 

Q,. 38. Why was it requisite that our Redeemer should 
be [man 1] 



118 



OF CHRIST S INCARNATION. 



A. That being our kinsman and blood relation, the right 
of redemption might devolve upon him ; and that he might 
be capable of obeying and suffering in our nature, Heb. 
ii. 14.* 

Q,. 39. Why was it requisite that our Mediator should 
be [God?] 

A. That his obedience and sufferings in our nature and 
room, might be of infinite value for our redemption, Acts 
xx. 28 ; and that the human nature might be supported 
under the infinite load of divine wrath ; which he had to 
bear for our sins, Rom. i. 4.f 

Q,. 40. " Why was it requisite that the Mediator should 
be God and man in one person T' 

A. " That the proper works of each nature might be 
accepted of God for us, and relied on by us, as the works 
of the whole person, Heb. ix. 14. 1 Pet. ii. 6."| 

Q,. 41. What may we learn from the indissoluble union 
of the two natures in the person of Christ ! 

A. That this union shall be an everlasting security for 
the perpetuity of the union between Christ and believers : 
that the one shall never be dissolved more than the other ; 
for he has said, " Because I live ye shall live also," John 
xiv. 19. 



Quest. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, 
become man ? 

Ans. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking 
to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being con- 
ceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of 
the virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin. 

Q,. 1. Did Christ assume the person of a man? 

A. No : he assumed the human nature, but not a human 
person, Heb. ii. 16. 

Q,. 2. Had ever the human nature of Christ a distinct 
personality of its own 1 

A. No : it never subsisted one moment by itself, Luke 
i. 35. 

Q,. 3. What is the reason that the human nature of 
Christ never subsisted by itself] 

A. Because it was formed and assumed at once ; for the 
moment the soul was united to the body, both soul and 
body subsisted in the person of the Son of God. 



* Larger Cat. Q. 39. t Ibid. Q. 38. i Ibid. Q. 40. 



of Christ's incarnation. 



119 



Q. 4. How came the human nature to subsist in the 
person of the Son ? 

A. The whole Trinity adapted and fitted the human 
nature to him ; but the assumption of it, into a personal 
subsistence with himself, was the peculiar act of the Son, 
Heb. ii. 14, 16. 

Q,. 5. Since the human nature of Christ has no person- 
ality of its own, is it not more imperfect than in other 
men, when all other men are human persons 7 

A. The human nature of Christ is so far from being im- 
perfect, by the want of a personality of its own, that it is 
unspeakably more perfect and excellent than in all other 
men, because to subsist in God, or in a divine person, is 
incomparably more noble and excellent than to subsist by 
itself. 

Q,. 6. In what lies the matchless and peculiar dignity of 
the human nature of Christ'? 

A. That it subsists in the second person of the Godhead, 
by a personal and indissoluble union. 

Q,. 7. What is the difference between the human nature 
and a human person ? 

A. A human person subsists by itself; but the human 
nature subsists in a person. 

Q. 8. When Christ became man, did he become another 
person than he was before ? 

A. No : there was no change in his person ; for he as- 
sumed our nature with his former personality, which he 
had from eternity. 

Q,. 9. What is the reason that the assumption of the 
human nature made no change in the divine person of the 
Son? 

A. Because the human nature was assumed by Christ 
without a human personality. 

Q,. 10. Whether is it more proper to say, that the human 
nature subsists in the divine nature, or in the divine per- 
son of Christ 1 

A. It is more proper to say, that it subsists in the divine 
person of Christ, because the natures are distinct, but 
the person is one ; and it was the divine nature only, as it 
terminates in the second person, which assumed the hu- 
man nature into personal union. 

Q,. 11. Can we not say, consistently with truth, that the 
man Christ Jesus is God ? 

A. We assuredly may ; because in this case, we speak 
of the person, which includes the human nature. 

Q. 12. But can we say, in consistency with truth, that 
Christ Jesus, as man, is God 1 

A. No : because in this case, we speak only of the hu- 
man nature, which does not include his divine person. 



120 



of Christ's incarnation. 



Q,. 13. What is the human nature, or in what does it 
consist 1 

A. It consists in [a true body and a reasonable soul,] of 
which the first Adam, and every man and woman descend- 
ing from him, are possessed. 

Q,. 14. Had our Redeemer always a true body and a 
reasonable soul, subsisting in his divine person ? 

A. No : until he came in the fulness of time, and then 
took to himself a true body and a reasonable soul. 

Q,. 15. How do you prove that he took this human 
nature to himself] 

A. From Heb. ii. 14, 16: "Verily he took not on him 
the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of 
Abraham." 

Q,. 16. Why is Christ said to take to himself a [true 
body ?] 

A. To show that he had real flesh and bones, as we 
have, Luke xxiv. 39 ; and that it was not, as some ancient 
heretics alleged, only the mere shape and appearance of 
a human body. 

Q,. 17. How does it appear that he had a true and real 
body, as other men have ? 

A. He is called Man, and the Son of man, Ps. lxxx. 27 ; 
he was conceived and born, Matt. i. 20, 25 ; he was sub- 
ject to hunger, thirst, and weariness, like other men ; he 
was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again: none of 
which could be affirmed of him, if he had not had a true 
body. 

Q,. 18. Had not he [a reasonable soul,] as well as a true 
body] 

A. Yes: otherwise he had wanted the principal con- 
stituent part of the human nature : accordingly, we read, 
that his " soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," 
Matt. xxvi. 38. 

Q,. 19. Why was not the human body created imme- 
diately out of nothing, or out of the dust of the earth, as 
Adam's body was ? 

A. Because, in that case, though he would have had a 
true body, yet it would not have been akin to us, bone of 
our bone, and flesh of our flesh. 

Q,. 20. Did Christ bring his human nature from heaven 
with him 2 

A. No ; for he was the " seed of the woman," Gen. iii. 15. 

Q,. 21. How then is it said, 1 Cor. xv. 47, " The first man 
is of the earth, earthy ; the second man, is the Lord from 
heaven V 

A. The plain meaning is, the first man had his original 
from the earth ; but the second man, as to his divine nature, 
is the eternal, independent, and sovereign Lord of heaven 
and earth, equally with the Father ; and as to his human 



of chrisj's incarnation. 



121 



nature, there was a more glorious concurrence of the 
adorable Trinity, in the formation of it, than in making of 
the first Adam. 

Q,. 22. What was the peculiar agency of each person of 
the adorable Trinity in this wonderful work? 

A. The Father prepares a body, or human nature for 
him, Heb. x. 5; the Holy Ghost forms it, by his over- 
shadowing power, out of the substance of the virgin, Luke 
i. 35; and the Son assumes the entire human nature to 
himself, Heb. ii. 14, 16. 

Q,. 23. Why was Christ born of a [Virgin?] 

A. That the human nature might be found again in its 
primitive purity, and presented to God as spotless as it 
was at its creation, free from the contagion of original sin, 
which is conveyed to all Adam's posterity by natural gene- 
ration. 

Q,. 24. Was it necessary that Christ should be [conceived 
and born ivithout sin ?] 

A. It was absolutely necessary ; both because the hu- 
man nature was to subsist in union with the person of the 
Son of God, and likewise because it was to be a sacrifice 
for sin, and therefore behoved to be without blemish, 
Heb. vii. 26. 

Q,. 25. What benefit or advantage accrues to us by the 
spotless holiness of the human nature of Christ 1 

A. The spotless holiness of his human nature is im- 
puted to us as a part of his righteousness, 1 Cor. i. 30 ; 
and it is a sure earnest of our perfect sanctification at last, 
Col. ii. 9, 10. 

Q,. 26. Was not the [vii'gi.n Mary,] the mother of our 
Lord, a sinner as well as others ? 

A. Yes ; for she descended from Adam by ordinary 
generation ; Christ rebuked her for going beyond her 
sphere, John ii. 4 ; and she needed a Saviour as much as 
others ; and believed in him for salvation from sin, Luke 
i. 47. 

Q,. 27. What necessarily follows upon the union of the 
two natures 1 

A. A communication of the properties of each nature to 
the whole person. 

Q,. 28. How does the scripture apply this communication 
of properties to his person. 

A. By ascribing that to his person, which properly be- 
longs to one of his natures. 

Q,. 29. How is this illustrated in scripture 1 

A. It is illustrated thus: though it was only the human 
nature that suffered, yet God is said to purchase his church 
with his own blood, Acts xx. 28 ; and though it was only 
the human nature that ascended to heaven, yet, by reason 

Part L— 11 



122 



of Christ's offices in general. 



of the personal union, God is said to go up with a shout, 
Ps. xlvii. 5. 

30. Can an imaginary idea of Christ, as man, be any 
way helpful to the faith of his being God-man ? 

A. So far is it from being any way helpful, that it is 
every way hurtful ; because it diverts the mind from the 
object of faith to an object of sense ; by means of which we 
cannot believe any truth whatever, divine or human ; all 
faith being founded solely and entirely upon a testimony. 

Q,. 31. How then is the person of Christ, God-man, to be 
conceived of ) 

A. It can be conceived of no other way, than by faith 
and spiritual understanding ; or, by " the Spirit of wisdom 
and revelation in the knowledge of him," Eph. i. 17. 

Q,. 32. What improvement ought we to make of Christ's 
incarnation 1 

A. To claim him as our own, in virtue of his wearing 
our nature, saying, 44 Unto us a Child is born, unto us a 
Son is given," Isa. ix. 6 ; or, which is the same thing, to 
follow the practice of Ruth, in lying down at the feet of 
our blessed Boaz, saying, Spread thy skirt over me; that 
is, take me, a poor bankrupt sinner, into a marriage rela- 
tion with thee, " for thou art my near kinsman," Ruth 
iii. 9. 



Quest. 23. What offices does Christ execute as our 

Redeemer ? 

Ans. Christ, as our Redeemer, executes the offices of 
a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of 
humiliation and exaltation. 

Q,. 1. What is the general office of Christ, which respects 
the whole of his undertaking, and runs through the whole 
of the covenant made with him 1 

A. It is his being the only Mediator between God and 
man, 1 Tim. ii. 5: "There is one God, and one Mediator 
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 

Q. 2. What does the office of a Mediator between God 
and men suppose ? 

A. It supposes a breach between them, occasioned by 
sin on man's part, Isa. lix. 2. 

Q,. 3. Could a mere verbal intercession make up this 
breach 1 

A. By no means ; nothing less than a full reparation for 
all the damages which sin had done to the honour of God, 
and his law, could do it away Isa. liii. 10. 



of Christ's offices in general. 



123 



Q,. 4. Was none but Christ fit for being Mediator in 
this respect 1 

A. None else: because there was no other who stood 
related to the two families of heaven and earth, which 
were at variance, in such a manner as he did. 

Q. 5. How did he stand related to these two families ? 

A. By being, from eternity, God equal with the Father, 
he stood naturally and essentially related to heaven, John 
x. 30 ; and by consenting to become man, he stood volun- 
tarily and freely related to earth, Phil. ii. 6, 7. 

Q,. 6. What are the branches of Christ's mediatory office ; 
or the particular offices included in it? 

A. They are three; namely, his office of a [Prophet,] 
Deut. xviii. 15; of a [Priest,] Ps. ex. 4; and of a [King,] 
Ps. ii. 6. 

Q,. 7. Have each of these offices the same relation to the 
covenant of which he is the Mediator. 

A. His priestly office, as to the sacrificing part of it, 
respecting the condition of the covenant, belongs to the 
making of it ; but his prophetical and kingly offices, with 
the intercessory part of his priestly office, respecting the 
promises of the covenant, belong to the administration 
of it. 

Q,. 8. What respect have these offices to our misery by 
sin ] 

A. The prophetical office respects our ignorance; the 
priestly office our guilt ; and the kingly office our pollu- 
tion or defilement. 

Q,. 9. What is Christ made of God to us, in virtue of 
these offices, for the removal of these miseries ? 

A. As a Prophet, he is made of God to us ivisdom ; as a 
Priest, righteousness ; and as a King, sanctification ; and 
as vested with all these offices, he is made of God to us 
complete redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30. 

Q,. 10. Was he ordained or appointed to these offices'? 

A. Yes, from all eternity ; 1 Pet. i. 20 : " Who, verily, 
was foreordained before the foundation of the world." 

Q,. 11. What were the necessary consequences of this 
eternal designation '? 

A. His mission and call. 

Q. 12. In what consisted his mission? 

A. In his being promised, Isa. vii. 14, and typified under 
the Old Testament, John hi. 14; and in his being actually 
sent, in the fulness of time, to assume our nature, and 
finish the work which was given him to do, Gal. iv. 4, 5. 

Q,. 13. Was he formally called to his mediatory office? 

A. Yes : he did not take this honour unto himself, but 
was called of God, as ivas Aaron, Heb. v. 4, 5. 

Q,. 14. Of what parts did his call consist ? 

A. Of his unction and inauguration. 



124 



of Christ's offices in general. 



Q,. 15. What do you understand by his unction? 

A. The consecration of him to all his mediatory offices, 
John x. 36 ; and the giving of the Spirit, with all his gifts 
and graces, without measure to him, that he might be 
fully furnished for the execution of these offices, John 
iii. 34. 

Q,. 16. In which nature is Christ anointed with the 
Spirit 1 

A. The person of Christ was anointed in the human 
nature, which was the immediate receptacle of all gifts 
and graces, Ps. lxviii. 18 : — " Thou hast received gifts for 
men :" Margin, in the man ; that is, in the human nature. 

Q,. 17. When was he inaugurated into his mediatory 
offices } 

A. Although, in virtue of his assuming the human na- 
ture, he was born to the execution of them, yet he was not 
solemnly installed into the public exercise of these offices, 
till his baptism. 

Q,. 18. What was the solemnity of his inauguration or 
instalment at that time 1 

A. " The heavens were opened, the Spirit of God de- 
scended like a dove, and lighted upon him : and lo, a voice 
from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I 
am well pleased," Matt. iii. 16, 17. 

Q. 19. Why was Christ vested with this threefold office ? 

A. The nature of our salvation required that it should 
be revealed by him as a Prophet ; purchased by him as a 
Priest ; and applied by him as a King. 

Q. 20. Did ever all these offices centre in any one per- 
son except Christ alone ? 

A. No ; for, in order to set forth the vast importance of 
these offices, as united in the person of Christ, none of 
those who were typical of him under the Old Testament 
were ever clothed with all the three : this honour was re- 
served for himself, as his peculiar dignity and prerogative ; 
John xiv. 6 : " I am the way, and the truth, and the life ;" 
that is, the way in my death, as a Priest ; the truth in 
my ivord, as a Prophet ; and the life in my Spirit, as a 
King. 

Q,. 21. In what states does Christ execute all these 
offices 1 

A. [Both in his estate of h umiliation] on earth, and in his 
state of [exaltation] in heaven. 

Q,. 22. What do you understand by Christ's executing 
of his offices 1 

A. His doing or fulfilling what was incumbent upon 
him, in virtue of each of these offices, Matt. iii. 15. 

Q,. 23. Are the offices of Christ the proper fountain from 
whence the promises flow 1 

A. No : the proper fountain and spring of all the pro- 



OF CHRIST S OFFICES IN GENERAL. 



125 



mises, is the sovereign will and good pleasure of God: 
hence the sovereign will of God is set in the front of all 
the promises, — I will put my lata in their inward parts ; 
and I will be their God ; I will forgive their iniquity ; and 
I will remember their sin no more, Jer. xxxi. 33,34; "I 
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh ; and I 
will give you a heart of flesh," &c. Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. 

Q. 24. What connexion then have the promises with 
the offices of Christ ? 

A. They are revealed to us by Christ as a Prophet, Heb. 
i. 2 ; confirmed by his blood, as a Priest, Heb. ix. 16 ; and 
effectually applied by his power, as a King, Ps. ex. 3. 
"Q,. 25. Is the order in which the offices of Christ are 
here laid down, the very order in which they are executed ? 

A. Yes : for it is the order laid down in scripture, 1 Cor. 
i. 30. 

Q,. 26. By whom is this order inverted ? 

A. By the Arminians and other legalists, who make 
Christ's kingly office the first which he executes, in the 
application of redemption. 

Q,. 27. How do they make Christ's kingly office theirs* 
which he executes 1 

A. By alleging that Christ, as a King, has, in the gospel, 
given out a new preceptive law, of faith and repentance, by 
obedience to which we come to be entitled to Christ and 
his righteousness. 

Q,. 28. What is the danger of this scheme of doctrine? 

A. It confounds the lata and gospel ; and brings ivorks 
into the matter and cause of a sinner's justification before 
God, contrary to Rom. v. 19, and Gal. ii. 16. 

Q,. 29. When faith closes with Christ, does it not close 
with him in all his offices ? 

A. Yes; for Christ is never divided: we must have 
him wholly or none of him, John viii. 24. 

Q,. 30. Which of his offices does faith act upon for justi- 
fication ? 

A. Upon his priestly office only : for the great thing a 
guilty sinner wants is righteous?! ess, to answer the charge 
of the law; and the enlightened sinner sees that Christ, 
in his priestly office, is " the end of the law for righteous- 
ness," Rom. x. 4. 

Q,. 31. What may we learn for encouragement from 
Christ's being clothed with this three-fold office 1 

A. That since all these offices have a relation to us, we 
may warrantably employ him in every one of them ; that 
in like manner as he is made over of God unto us, so we 
may actually have him for our " wisdom, righteousness, 
sanctification, and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 30. 



11* 



126 



OF CHRIST AS A PROPHET. 



Quest. 24* How does Christ execute the office of a 
Prophet ? 

Ays. Christ executes the office of a Prophet, in reveal- 
ing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our 
salvation. 

Q,. 1. Is Christ expressly called a [Prophet] in scripture 1 

A. Yes : as in Acts iii. 22 ; where Peter applies the words 
of Moses to him, " a prophet shall the Lord your God 
raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me," &c. 

Q,. 2. Why does he bear this name ? 

A. Because he has made a full revelation of the whole 
counsel of God, concerning the salvation of lost sinners 
of mankind, John xv. 15. 

Q. 3. By what other names is Christ described, with 
relation to this office ? 

A. By the names of an Apostle, Heb. iii. 1; of a Witness, 
Isa. lv. 4 ; and of an Interpreter, Job xxxiii. 23. 

Q. 4. Why is he called an Apostle? 

A. Because he is the great Ambassador of Heaven, sent 
to declare the will of God to men, John iii. 34 ; hence called 
the Messenger of the covenant, Mai. iii. L 

Q. 5. Why called a Witness 1 

A. Because being a son of Adam, Luke iii. 38, he was 
the more fit to attest the will of God to men ; and being 
the eternal Son of God, was therefore liable to no error or 
mistake in his testimony: hence called the Amen, the 
faithful and true Witness, Rev. iii. 14. 

Q,. 6. Why is he called an Interpreter ? 

A. Because the mystery of godliness lies so far beyond 
the reach of our natural understanding, that we could 
never savingly comprehend it, unless " the Son of God 
gave us an understanding, that we may know him that 
is true," 1 John v. 20. 

Q,. 7. What was the necessity of his bearing this office 
of a Prophet ? 

A. Because there could be no knowledge of the things 
of the Spirit of God, without a revelation of them, 1 Cor. 
ii. 14 ; and there could be no revelation of these things, 
but through Christ, John i. 18. 

Q,. 8. By what means does Christ reveal to us the will 
of God ? 

A. He reveals it to us outwardly [by his ivord,] and in- 
wardly, by his [Spirit,] 1 Pet. i. 11, 12. 

Q,. 9. To whom does he reveal the will of God outward- 
ly in his word ! 



OF CHRIST AS A PROPHET. 



127 



A. To his church, which, on this account, is called the 
valley of vision, Isa. xxii. L 

Q. 10. Did he reveal the will of God to his church under 
the Old Testament ? 

A. Yes ; for the Spirit of Christ was in the Old Testa- 
ment prophets, 1 Pet. i. 11; he is said, in the days of Noah, 
to have preached unto the spirits [now] in prison, 1 Pet. 
iii. 19 ; and " to have spoken with Moses on Mount Sinai," 
Acts vii. 38. 

Q,. 1 1 . Does he still continue, under the New Testament, 
to be the prophet and teacher of the church 1 

A. Yes ; and is therefore said to speak from heaven, in 
his word and ordinances, Heb. xii. 25: "See that ye re- 
fuse not him that speaketh ; for, if they escaped not, who 
refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we 
escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from 
heaven." 

Q,. 12. In what manner did he reveal the will of God 
under both Testaments 7 

A. Both immediately, in his own person ; and mediately, 
by the intervention of others. 

Q,. 13. How did he reveal the will of God immediately 
in his own person ] 

A. By voices, visions, dreams, and divers other manners, 
under the Old Testament, Heb. i. 1 : and by his own 
personal ministry, while here on earth, under the New, 
Heb. ii. 3. 

Q,. 1 4. How does he reveal the will of God mediately, or 
by the intervention of others ? 

A. By inspiring the prophets under the Old Testament, 
and his apostles under the New, to speak and write " as 
they were moved by the Holy Ghost," 2 Pet. i. 21 ; and by 
commissioning ordinary pastors to teach all things what- 
soever he has commanded ; and in so doing, promising to 
be with them, " alway, even unto the end of the world," 
Matt, xxviii. 20. 

Q,. 15. Wherein does Christ excel aD other prophets and 
teachers whatsoever, whether ordinary or extraordinary 1 

A. They were all commissioned by him as the original 
Prophet, Eph. iv. 11: none of them had ever any gifts or 
furniture, except what they received from him, John xx. 
22 ; and none of them could ever teach with such author- 
ity, power, and efficacy, as he does, John vii. 46. 

Q,. 16. What will become of those who will not hear 
this prophet 1 

A. " They shall be destroyed from among the people," 
Acts iii. 23. 

Q,. 1 7. May not a people enjoy a faithful ministry, have 
the word purely preached to them, and yet not profit 
by it? 



128 



OF CHRIST AS A PROPHET. 



A. Doubtless they may; as was the case of many of 
the Jews in Isaiah's time, Isa. liii. 1; and of Chorazin and 
Bethsaida, under the ministry of Christ himself, Matt. xi. 
21. 

Q. 18. What is the reason why the word purely preach- 
ed does not always profit) 

A. Because " it is not" always " mixed with faith in them 
that hear it," Heb. iv. 2. 

Q,. 19. What commonly follows upon people's not pro- 
fiting by the word preached ? 

A. The word of the Lord slays them, Hos. vi. 5 ; and 
proves the savour of death unto death to them, 2 Cor. 
ii. 16. 

Q. 20. Seeing the external dispensation of the word has 
so little influence upon the generality, what else is necess- 
ary to make it effectual ! 

A. The inward teaching of Christ by his Spirit, John 
vi. 63, and xiv. 26. 

Q,. 21. How does this great prophet teach inwardly by 
his Spirit) 

A. He opens the understanding, and makes the entrance 
of his words to give such light, Ps. cxix. 130, that the 
soul is made to see a divine beauty and glory in the gos- 
pel-method of salvation, 1 Cor. ii. 10 — 12, and powerfully 
inclined to fall in with it, 1 Tim. i. 1 5. 

Q,. 22. Does Christ, as a prophet, make all welcome to 
come and be taught by him ! 

A. Yes ; for, in the outward dispensation of the gospel, 
he opens the door to every man and woman, saying, 
"Come unto me — and learn of me, for I am meek and 
lowly in heart," Matt. xi. 28, 29. 

Q,. 23. At what schools does Christ, as a prophet, train 
up his disciples ? 

A. At the school of the laiv, the school of the gospel, and 
the school of affliction. 

Q,. 24. What does he teach them at the school of the 
law ? 

A. The nature and desert of sin ; that by it they are 
" without Christ — having no hope, and without God in the 
world," Eph. ii. 12. 

Q,. 25. What does he teach them at the school of the 

gospel ? 

A. That he himself is the great doer of all for them, and 
in them, Mark x. 51; and that their business is to "take 
the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord," 
Ps. cxvi. 13. 

Q,. 26. What does he teach them at the school of afflic- 
tion ? 

A. To justify God, Ezra ix. 13; to set their affections 
on things above, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18; and to pray that their 



OF CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



129 



affliction may be rather sanctified, than removed without 
being so, Isa. xxvii. 9. 

Q,. 27. How may persons know if they have profited 
under this great Prophet and Teacher? 

A. Such will follovj. on to know him more and more, 
Hos. vi. 3 : they will delight in his company, Ps. xxvii. 4 ; 
grieve at his absence, Job xxiii. 3 ; and hide his word in 
their heart, Ps. cxix. 11. 



Quest. 25. How does Christ execute the office of a 
Priest ? 

Ans. Christ executes the office of a Priest, in his once 
offering up himself a sacrifice, to satisfy divine justice, 
and reconcile us to God ; and in making continual inter- 
cession for us. 

Q. 1. What do you understand by a [priest ?] 

A. A priest is a public person, who in the name of the 
guilty deals with an offended God, for reconciliation, by 
sacrifice, which he offers to God upon an altar, being 
thereto called of God, that he may be accepted, Heb. v. 1, 4. 

Q* 2. What was the great event which the priesthood 
under the law, especially the office of high priest, typified 
and pointed at 1 

A. It was Christ's becoming a high priest, to appear 
before God, in the name of sinners, to make atonement 
and reconciliation for them, Heb. viii. 1 — 3. 

Q. 3. Of whom was the high priest a representative, 
when bearing the names of the children of Israel upon his 
shoulders, and in the breast plate? Ex. xxviii. 12, 29. 

A. He was the representative of all Israel ; and so an 
illustrious type of Christ, as the representative of a whole 
elect world, Isa. xlix. 3. 

Q,. 4. Were not the ordinary priests, as well as the high 
priest, types of Christ 1 

A. Yes; because though the high priest was a more 
eminent type of him, yet the apostle, Heb. x. 11, 12, com- 
pares every priest, who offered sacrifices, with Christ, as 
a type with the antitype. 

Q,. 5. In what respect did Christ excel the priests aftei 
the order of Aaron? 

A. In his person, manner of instalment, and in the em* 
cacy and perfection of his sacrifice. 

Q,. 6. How does he excel them in his person ? 

A. They were only mere men, He, " the true God, and 



130 



OF CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



eternal life," 1 John v. 20 ; they were sinful men, He " is 
holy, harmless, undeflled, and separate from sinners," 
Heb. vii. 26. 

Q,. 7. How did he excel them in the manner of his in- 
stalment ? 

A. " Those priests were made without an oath ; but this 
with an oath, by him that said unto him, The Lord sware, 
and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the 
order of Melchizedek," Heb. vii. 21. 

Q,. 8. Why was Christ made a Priest with the solemnity 
of an oath ? 

A. Because, as the weight of the salvation of sinners 
lay upon his call to this office, so his Father's solemn in- 
vesting of him in it by an oath, gave him access to offer 
himself effectually, even in such sort, as to fulfil the condi- 
tion of the covenant, and thus to purchase eternal life for 
them, Heb. ix. 12. 

Q,. 9. In what respect did Christ excel the Aaronical 
priests in the efficacy and perfection of his sacrifice? 

A. " It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of 
goats should take away sins : — But this man, after he had 
offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the 
right hand of God," Heb. x. 4, 12. 

Q,. 10. After what order was Christ a priest ? 

A. After the order of Melchizedek, Ps. ex. 4. 

Q,. 11. What was the order of Melchizedek? 

A. That being "made like unto the Son of God, he 
abideth a priest continually," Heb. vii. 3. 

Q,. 12. How could Melchizedek abide a priest continu- 
ally, when he certainly died like other men ! 

A. The meaning is, he came not to his office by suc- 
cession to any who went before him, and none succeeded 
him after his death. 

Q,. 13. Why then is Christ called a priest after the order 
of Melchizedek? 

A. Because not succeeding to, or being succeeded by 
any other in his office, bat " continuing ever, he hath an 
unchangeable priesthood ;" being made a priest, " not after 
the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of 
an endless life," Heb. vii. 16, 24. 

Q,. 14. What are the parts of Christ's priestly office? 

A. His satisfaction on earth, Heb. xiii. 12, and his inter- 
cession in heaven, ] John ii. 1. 

Q,. 1 5. Why behoved his satisfaction to be made upon 
earth ? 

A. Because this earth being the theatre of rebellion, 
where God's law was violated, and his authority trampled 
upon, it was meet that satisfaction should be made, where 
the offence was committed ; hence, says Christ, John xvii. 
4, / have glorified thee on the earth. 



OF CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



131 



Q,. 16. How did Christ make satisfaction on the earth? 

A. By sacrifice, 1 Cor. v. 7: " Even Christ our passover 
is sacrificed for us." 

Q,. 17. What was the [sacrifice] which he offered ? 

A. It was [Himself] Heb. ix. 26 : " He appeared to put 
away sin by the sacrifice of himself." 

Q,. 18. What was essentially necessary to every sacri- 
fice'? 

A. The shedding of blood unto death, Heb. ix. 22: 
" Without shedding of blood is no remission." 

Q,. 19. Which of the two natures was the sacrifice'? 

A. The human nature, soul and body, Isa. liii. 10, Heb. 
x. 10, which were actually separated by death, John 
xix. 30. 

Q,. 20. What was necessary to the acceptance of every 
slain sacrifice 1 

A. That it be offered on such an altar as should sanctify 
the gift to its necessary value, and designed effect, Matt, 
xxiii. 19 : " Whether is greater the gift, or the altar that 
sanctifieth the gift 7" 

Q. 21. What was the altar on which the sacrifice of the 
human nature was offered ] 

A. It was the divine nature. 

Q,. 22. How did this altar sanctify the gift ? 

A. It gave to it an infinite value and efficacy, because 
of the personal union, Heb. ix. 14. 

Q. 23. Was Christ a sacrifice only while on the cross ? 

A. In the first moment of his incarnation, the sacrifice 
was laid on the altar, Heb. x. 5 ; continued thereon through 
the whole of his life, Isa. liii. 3 ; and was completed on the 
cross, and in the grave, John xix. 30. Isa. liii. 9. 

Q. 24. Was there a necessity for a priest to offer this 
sacrifice 1 

A. Yes, surely ; because a priest and sacrifice being 
inseparable, without a priest there could be no sacrifice 
at all to be accepted, and consequently no removal of sin, 
Heb. viii. 3. 

Q,. 25. Who was the priest 7 

A. As Christ himself was both the sacrifice and the altar, 
none else but himself could be the priest, Heb. v. 5. 

Q,. 26. Did Christ truly and properly offer himself a 
sacrifice, not for our good only, but in our room and 
stead ? 

A. Yes ; as is evident from all those scriptures where 
Christ is said to have borne our sins, 1 Pet. ii. 24, to have 
died for us, Rom. v. 6, and to have redeemed us by his 
blood, Rev. v. 19. 

Q,. 27. How often did Christ offer up himself a sacrifice'? 

A. [Once] only, Heb. ix. 28, " Christ was once offered 
to bear the sins of many." 



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OF CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



Q,. 28. Why could not this sacrifice be repeated 1 
A. Because as once dying was the penalty of the law, 
so once suffering unto death was the complete payment 
of it, in regard of the infinite dignity of the sufferer, Heb. 
ix. 27, 28. 

Q,. 29. For what end did Christ once offer up himself a 

sacrifice 1 

A. [To satisfy divine justice,'] 1 Pet. iii. 18. 
Q,. 30. Was satisfaction to justice absolutely neces- 
sary 1 

A. Yes : since God freely purposed to save some of 
mankind, it was absolutely necessary that it should be 
done consistently with the honour of justice, Exod. 
xxxiv. 7. 

Q,. 31. What did the honour of justice require as a satis- 
faction 1 

A. That the curse of the broken law be fully executed, 
either upon the sinners themselves, Ezek. xviii. 4, or upon 
a sufficient substitute, Ps. lxxxix. 19. 

Q,. 32. What would have been the effect of executing 
the curse upon the sinners themselves ? 

A. The fire of divine wrath would have burned con- 
tinually upon them, and yet there would be no satisfac- 
tion to avenging justice, Isa. xxxiii. 14. 

Q,. 33. Why could not avenging justice be ever satis- 
fied? 

A. Because they were not only finite creatures, whose 
most exquisite sufferings could never be a sufficient com- 
pensation for the injured honour of an infinite God ; but 
tney were sinful creatures likewise, who would still have 
remained sinful, even under their eternal sufferings, Rev. 
xiv. 11. 

Q,. 34. How could satisfaction be demanded from Christ, 
who was perfectly holy and innocent 1 

A. He voluntarily substituted himself in the room of 
sinners, Ps. xl, 7; their sins were imputed to him, Isa. liii. 
5, 6 ; he had full power to dispose of his own life, John x. 
18 ; and therefore it was most just to exact the full pay- 
ment of him. 

Q,. 35. Has Christ fully and perfectly satisfied divine 
justice ] 

A. Yes ; his " offering and sacrifice to God was for a 
sweet-smelling savour," Eph. v. 2; or a savour of rest, 
as it is said of Noah's typical sacrifice, Gen. viii. 21, 
margin. 

Q. 36. Why is his sacrifice said to be for a sweet-smell- 
ing savour, or savour of rest 1 

A. Because it quite overcame the abominable savour 
arising from sin, and gave the avenging justice and wrath 
of God the calmest and profoundest rest. 



OP CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



133 



Q,. 37. How do you prove that Christ has perfectly satis- 
Jied the justice of God? 

A. He said, " It is finished," John xix. 30 ; and evidenced 
that it was really so, by his resurrection from the dead, 
Rom. i. 4. 

Q. 38. For whom did Christ satisfy justice ? 

A. For the elect only, John x. 15; and not for all man- 
kind, Eph. v. 25. 

Q,. 39. How is it evident that Christ satisfied for the 
elect only, and not for all mankind 1 

A. From the satisfaction and intercession of Christ being 
of equal extent, so that the one reaches no further than 
the other ; and he expressly affirms, that he intercedes for 
the elect only, and not for the whole world of mankind, 
John xvii. 9 : " I pray not for the world, but for them which 
thou hast given me." 

Q,. 40. What is the blessed effect and consequence of 
Christ's perfectly satisfying the justice of God? 

A. It is the reconciling us to God, Rom. v. 10. 

Q,. 41. How does the satisfaction of Christ [reconcile us 
to God ?] 

A. It discovers the love of God, in providing such a ran- 
som for us ; and this love, apprehended b)^ faith, slays the 
natural enmity against God, 1 John iv. 10, 19. 

Q,. 42. When is it that the elect are actually reconciled 
to God 1 

A. When, in a day of power, they are determined to 
come to " Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to 
the blood of sprinkling," Heb. xii. 24. 

Q,. 43. Why is the blood of Jesus called the blood of 
sprinkling ? 

A. To distinguish between the shedding and the ap- 
plication of his blood, Exod. xxiv. 8; and also to point out 
the necessity of the one, as well as the other, for recon- 
ciliation and pardon, Ezek. xxxvi. 25. 

Q,. 44. How may we know if we are reconciled to God? 

A. If we are dead to the law as a covenant, Rom. vii. 4 ; 
and are content to be eternal debtors to rich and sovereign 
grace, Ps. cxv. 1. 

Q,. 45. What may we learn from the first part of Christ's 
priestly office, his satisfaction for sin ? 

A. The exceeding sinfulness of sin, Rom. vii. 13; the 
infinite love of God, John iii. 16; and the necessity of an 
interest in this satisfaction, Heb. x. 29. 

Q,. 46. What is the second part of Christ's priestly 
office? 

A. It is his [making continual intercession for us,] Heb. 
vii. 25. 

Q,. 47. Had Christ's intercession any place in the mak- 
ing of a new covenant ? 
Part L— 12 



134 



OF CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



A. No : the love and grace of God made the motion for 
a new covenant freely, Ps. lxxxix. 3, 20. 

43. Could the breach between God and sinners be 
made up by a simple intercession ! 

A. No: justice could not be satisfied with pleading, but 
by paying a ransom, Heb. ix. 22. 

Q,. 49. To what part of the covenant then does Christ's 
intercession belong ! 

A. As his sacrificing natively took its place in the 
making, and fulfilling the condition of, the covenant, so his 
intercession belongs to the administration of the covenant, 
and fulfilling the promises of it, Rom. viii. 34. 

Q,. 50. What occasion was there for an intercessor, or 
advocate with the Father, when the Father himself loveth 
us 1 John xvi. 27. 

A. That through Christ's obedience unto death, as the 
honourable channel, his spiritual seed might have the 
blessed fruits and effects of the Father's everlasting love, 
flowing into their souls, in every time of need, Heb. iv. 
14, 16. 

Q,. 51. What is the nature of Christ's intercession] 

A. It is his willing, that the merit of his sacrifice be ap- 
plied to all those in whose room and stead he died, accord- 
ing to the method laid down in the covenant in their fa- 
vour, John xvii. 24 — " Father, I will, that they whom thou 
hast given me, be with me, where I am," &c. 

Q,. 52. Who then are the objects of his intercession'? 

A. Those only whom he, as the second Adam, repre- 
sented in the eternal transaction, John xvii. 9. 

Gl 53. Is his intercession always prevalent on their be- 
half? 

A. Yes, surely : for so he himself testifies, saying unto 
his Father, John xi. 42 — "I know that thou nearest me 
always." 

Q. 54. What is the first fruit of Christ's intercession 
with respect to the elect 1 

A. His effectually procuring the actual in-bringing of 
them into a covenant state of peace and favour with God 
at the time appointed, John xvii. 20, 21. 

Q,. 55. Whence is it that the intercession of Christ obtains 
peace between heaven and earth ] 

A. Because he purchased it for them by the blood of his 
sacrifice, Col. i. 20 ; and it was promised to him on that 
ground, Isa. liv. 13. 

Q,. 56. What does he by his intercession, in consequence 
of their being brought into a covenant state 1 

A. He appears for them ; and, in their name, takes pos- 
session of heaven, and all the other blessings they have a 
right to, in virtue of that covenant state, Eph. ii. 6. Heb. 
vi. 20. 



OF CHRIST AS A PRIEST. 



135 



d. 57. Having brought the elect into a state of peace, 
does he leave it to themselves to maintain it 1 

A. No : if that were the case it would soon be at an end ; 
but, by his intercession, he always prevents a rupture be- 
tween heaven and them, Luke xxii. 32 : — " I have prayed 
for thee, that thy faith fail not." 

Q,. 58. How does he maintain the peace between heaven 
and them ? 

A. Upon the ground of his satisfaction for them, he 
answers all accusations against them, and takes up all 
emerging differences between them and their covenanted 
God, 1 John ii. 1, 2. 

Q. 59. Are not the saints on earth, being sinful, unfit to 
come into the presence of the King 1 

A. Yes ; but the glorious Advocate introduces them, 
procuring them access by his interest in the court ; " For 
through him we have an access, by one Spirit, unto the 
Father," Eph. ii. 18. 

Q,. 60. How are their prayers acceptable to God, when 
attended with so many blemishes 1 

A. Their prayers made in faith, though infected with the 
remains of corruption, yet being perfumed with the incense 
of his merit, are accepted in heaven, and have gracious 
returns made them, Rev. viii. 3. 

Q,. 61. What is the last fruit of Christ's intercession, on 
behalf of his elect, brought into a state of grace on this 
earth 1 

A. The obtaining their admittance into heaven, in due 
time ; and continuing their state of perfect happiness there, 
for ever and ever, John xvii. 24. 

Q,. 62. Is not Christ a Priest for ever, according to Ps. 
ex. 4 1 

A. He is not a sacrificing priest for ever, " having, by one 
offering, perfected for ever them that are sanctified," Heb. 
x. 14 ; but he is, and ever will be, an interceding priest, 
Heb. vii. 27 — " He ever liveth to make intercession." 

Q,. 63. What will be the subject of his intercession for 
ever, in behalf of the saints in heaven ? 

A. The everlasting continuance of their happy state, 
John xvii. 21, 22. 

Q,. 64. What is the ground of his eternally willing the 
everlasting continuance of their happy state 1 

A. He does it on the ground of the eternal redemption 
obtained for them, by the sacrificing of himself on this 
earth, Heb. ix. 12. 

Q,. 65. What then is the everlasting security that the 
saints in heaven have, for the uninterrupted continuance 
of their happiness. 1 

A. That the infinite merit of Christ's sacrifice will be 
eternally presented before God in heaven itself, where, in 



136 



OF CHRIST AS A KING. 



their nature, he continually appears in the presence of God 
for them, Heb. ix. 24. 

Q,. 66. How will the happiness, issuing from the merit 
of Christ's sacrifice, be communicated by him, to the saints 
in heaven ! 

A. It will be communicated to them, by him, as their 
Prophet and their King. 

Q,. 67. Will not these offices be laid aside in heaven 7 

A. No ; for as he is a Priest for ever, Ps. ex. 4, so of his 
kingdom there shall be no end, Luke i. 33 ; and the Lamb 
will be the light of the heavenly city, Rev. xxi. 23. 

Q,. 68. How will the saints' communion with God in 
heaven be for ever maintained 1 

A. It will be still in and through the Mediator, in a man- 
ner agreeable to their state of perfection, Rev. vii. 17 — 
" The Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed 
them, and shall lead them to living fountains of water." 

Q,. 69. What is the difference between the intercession 
of Christ, and the intercession of the Spirit, mentioned 
Rom. viii. 261 

A. Christ intercedes without us, by presenting the merit 
of his oblation for us, Heb. xii. 24 ; but the Spirit inter- 
cedes icithin us, by bringing the promise to our remem- 
brance, John xiv. 26. and enabling us to importune a faith- 
ful God, to do as he has said, and not to let him go, except 
he bless us, Gen. xxxii. 26. 

Q,. 70. Are there any other intercessors for us in heaven 
besides Christ ] 

A. None at all : for there is only " one Mediator between 
God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Tim. ii. 5. He 
who is the only "Advocate with the Father, is Jesus Christ, 
the righteous," 1 John ii. 1. 

Q,. 71. May we not apply to saints or angels to inter- 
cede for us, as the Papists do 3 

A. By no means ; this would be gross idolatry : besides, 
they have no merit to plead, Rev. xxii. 9 ; nor do they 
know our cases and wants, Isa. lxiii. 16. 

Q,. 72. What may we learn from Christ's intercession ? 

A. That though the believer has nothing to pay for 
managing his cause at the court of heaven, yet it is impos- 
sible it can miscarry, seeing the Advocate is faithfulness 
itself, Rev. iii. 14 ; and pleads for nothing but what he has 
merited by his blood, John xvii. 4. 



Quest. 26. Hoto does Christ execute the office of a 

King ? 

Ans. Christ executes the office of a King, in subduing 



OF CHRIST AS A KING. 



137 



us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restrain- 
ing and conquering all his and our enemies. 

Q,. 1. How does it appear that Christ is a King? 

A. From his Father's testimony, Ps. ii. 6, and his own, 
John xviii. 36, concerning this matter. 

Q,. 2. When was he ordained or appointed to his king- 
dom? 

A. He " was set up from everlasting," Prov. viii. 23. 

Q,. 3. When was he publicly proclaimed ? 

A. At his birth, Matt. ii. 2, and at his death, John xix. 19. 

Q,. 4. Did he not actually exercise his kingly power be- 
fore that time 1 

A. Yes: he commenced the exercise of his kingly power 
ever after the first promise, of his bruising the head of 
the serpent, Gen. hi. 15. 

Q,. 5. When was he solemnly inaugurated into his kingly 
office? 

A. When he ascended, and " sat down on the right hand 
of the Majesty on high," Heb. i. 3. 

Q,. 6. Where stands the throne of this great Potentate ? 

A. His throne of glory is in heaven, Rev. vii. 17 ; his 
throne of grace is in the church, Heb. iv. 16 ; and his throne 
of judgment is to be erected in the serial heavens at his 
second coming, 1 Thess. iv. 17. 

Q,. 7. What sceptre does he sway? 

A. He has a twofold sceptre : one by which he gathers 
and governs his subjects, Ps. ex. 2 ; another by which he 
dashes his enemies in pieces like a potter's vessel, Ps. ii. 9. 

Q,. 8. Wliat is that sceptre by which Christ gathers and 
governs his subjects ? 

A. It is the gospel of the grace of God, accompanied 
with the power of his Spirit, therefore called the rod of 
his strength, Ps. ex. 2. 

Q,. 9. What is that rod of iron by which he dashes his 
enemies in pieces ? 

A. It is the power of his anger, of which no finite crea- 
ture can know the uttermost, Ps. xc. 11. 

Q,. 10. What armies does this King command and lead? 

A. His name is the Lord of hosts, and all the armies in 
heaven, whether saints or angels, follow him as upon white 
horses, Rev. xix. 14. 

Q,. 11. What other armies does he command? 

A. The devils in hell are the executioners of his wrath 
against the wicked of the world, who will not have him 
to rule over them : yea, he can levy armies of lice, frogs, 
caterpillars, locusts, to avenge his quarrel, as in the 
plagues of Egypt. 

Q,. 12. What tribute is paid to this mighty King? 
12* 



138 



OF CHRIST AS A KING. 



A. He has the continual tribute of praise, honour, and 
glory paid him, by saints in the church militant, Ps. lxv. 1; 
and by both saints and angels in the church triumphant, 
Rev. v. 9, 13. 

Q,. 13. Does he levy a tribute also from among his ene- 
mies ? 

A. Yes ; for the wrath of man shall praise him on this 
earth, Ps. lxxvi. 10; and he will, hereafter, erect monu- 
ments of praise to his justice, in their eternal destruction, 
Rom. ix. 22. 

Q,. 14. Who are the ambassadors of this king ? 

A. He has sometimes employed angels upon some par- 
ticular embassies, Luke ii. 10 : but because these are apt 
to terrify sinners of mankind, therefore, he ordinarily em- 
ploys men of the same mould with themselves, even min- 
isters of the gospel, whom he commissions and calls to 
that office, 2 Cor. xv. 18, 19. 

Q,. 1 5. May any man intrude himself into the office of 
an ambassador of Christ 1 

A, No man may lawfully take " this honour to himself, 
but he that is called of God, as was Aaron," Heb. v. 4. 

Q,. 16. What shall we think then of those who intrude 
themselves, or are intruded into the ministry, without a 
scriptural call 1 

A. Christ declares them to be thieves and robbers, or at 
best but hirelings, John x. 8, 12 ; that " they shall not profit 
the people at all, because he never sent them," Jer. xxxiii. 
32; and that the leaders, and they that are led by them, 
shall both fall into the ditch, Matt. xv. 14. 

17. How many fold is Christ's kingdom? 

A. It is twofold; his essential and his mediatorial king- 
dom. 

Q,. 18. What is his essential kingdom] 

A. It is that absolute and supreme power, which he has 
over all the creatures in heaven and earth, essentially and 
naturally, as God equal with the Father, Ps. ciii. 19 : "His 
kingdom ruleth over all." 

Q,. 19. What is his mediatorial kingdom? 

A. It is that sovereign power and authority in and over 
the church, which is given him as Mediator, Eph. i. 22. 

Q,. 20. What is the nature of his mediatorial kingdom 1 

A. It is entirely spiritual, and not of this world, John 
xvii. 36. 

Q. 21. Does the civil magistrate, then, hold his office of 
Christ as Mediator I 

A. No: but of him as God Creator, otherwise all civil 
magistrates, Heathen, as well as Christian, would be 
church officers ; which would be grossly Erastian. 

Q,. 22. What are the acts of Christ's kingly power 1 

A. They are such as have either a respect to his elect 



OF CHRIST AS A KING. 



139 



people, John i. 49 ; or such as have a respect to his and 
their enemies, Ps. ex. 2. 

Q,. 23. What are the acts of his kingly administration, 
which have a respect to his elect people ? 

A. They are his [subduing] them [to himself,] Acts xv. 
14; his [ruling] them, Isa. xxxiii. 22; and his [defending] 
them, Isa. xxxi. 2. 

Q,. 24. How does Christ subdue his elect people to him- 
self] 

A. By the power of his Spirit so managing the word 
that he conquers their natural aversion and obstinacy, Ps. 
ex. 3 ; and makes them willing to embrace a Saviour and 
a great one, as freely offered in the gospel, Isa. xliv. 5. 

Q. 25. In what condition does he find his elect ones, 
when he comes to subdue them to himself? 

A. He finds them prisoners, and lawful captives, Isa. 
lxi. 1. 

Q,. 26. How does he loose their bonds ? 

A. By his Spirit, applying to them the whole of his 
satisfaction, by which all demands of law and justice are 
fully answered, John xvi. 8 — 12. 

Q,. 27. What is the consequence of answering the 
demands of law and justice, by the Spirit's applying the 
satisfaction of Christ ? 

A. The law being satisfied, the strength of sin is broken, 
and therefore the sting of death is taken away, 1 Cor. xv. 
56, 57. 

Q,. 28. What follows upon taking away the sting of 
death ? 

A. Satan loses his power over them ; and that being 
lost, the present evil world, which is his kingdom, can hold 
them no longer, Gal. i. 4. 

Q,. 29. What comes of them, when they are separated 
from the world that lies in ivickedness 1 

A. The very moment they are delivered from the power 
of darkness, they ar& translated into the kingdom of God's 
dear Son, Col. i. 13. 

Q,. 30. Are they not in the world after this happy 
change ! 

A. Though in the world, yet they are not of it, but true 
and lively members of Christ's invisible kingdom ; and, 
therefore, the objects of the world's hatred, John xv. 19. 

Q,. 31. When Christ as a king has subdued sinners to 
himself, what other part of his royal office does he exer- 
cise over them ] 

A. He rules and governs them : hence he is called the 
" Ruler in Israel," Micah v. 2. 

Q. 32. Does the rule and government of Christ dissolve 
the subjection of his people from the powers of the earth 1 

A. By no means : he paid tribute himself, Matt. xvii. 27; 



140 



OF CHRIST AS A KING. 



and has strictly commanded that " every soul be subject 
to the higher powers, because there is no power but of 
God ; and the powers that be, are ordained of God," Rom. 
xiii. 1. 

Q. 33. In what things are the subjects of Christ's king- 
dom to obey the powers of the earth? 

A. In every thing that is not forbidden by the law of 
God ; but when the commands of men are opposite to the 
commands of God, in that case, God ought always to be 
obeyed, rather than men, Acts v. 29. 

Q,. 34. How does this glorious King rule his subjects? 

A. By giving them the laics, Ps. cxlvii. 19, and adminis- 
tering to them the discipline of his kingdom, Heb. xii. 6. 

Q,. 35. What are the laws of Christ's kingdom? 

A. They are no other than the laws of the Ten Com- 
mandments, originally given to Adam at his creation, and 
afterwards published from Mount Sinai. Ex. xx. 3 — 18. 

Q,. 36. How does Christ sweeten this laiv to his subjects? 

A. Having fulfilled it as a covenant, he gives it out to 
his true and faithful subjects as a rule of life, to be obeyed 
in the strength of that grace which is secured in the prom- 
ise, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. 

Q,. 37. Does he annex any rewards to the obedience of 
his true subjects ? 

A. Yes ; in keeping of his commandments, there is 
great reward, Ps. xix. 11. 

Q,. 38. What are these rewards ? 

A. His special comforts and love-tokens, which he be- 
stows for exciting to that holy and tender walk, which is 
the fruit of faith, John xiv. 21. 

Q,. 39. Why are these comforts called rewards ? 

A. Because they are given to a worMng saint, as a 
farther privilege on the performance of duty, Rev. hi. 10. 

Q,. 40. Is it the order of the new covenant, that duty 
should go before privilege ? 

A. No: the matter stands thus: the leading privilege is 
the quickening Spirit, then follows duty ; and duty, perfor- 
med in faith, is followed with farther privilege, till privi- 
lege and duty come both to perfection in heaven, not to be 
distinguished any more, 1 John iii. 2. 

Q,. 41. What is the discipline of Christ's kingdom? 

A. Fatherly chastisement ; which, being necessary for 
the welfare of his true subjects, is secured for them in the 
promise, Ps. lxxxix. 30 — 35. 

Q,. 42. To what promise of the covenant does fatherly 
chastisement belong ? 

A. To the promise of sanctification, being an appointed 
mean for advancing holiness in them, Heb. xii. 10. Isa. 
xxvii. 9. 

Q. 43. What other act of kingly power does Christ ex- 



OF CHRIST AS A KING. 



141 



ercise about his subjects, besides subduing them to him- 
self, and ruling of them'? 

A. He defends them likewise, Ps. lxxxix. 18 : " The 
Lord is our defence." 

Q,. 44. Against whom does he defend them ? 

A. Against all their enemies ; sin, Satan, the world, and 
death, Luke, i. 71. 1 John iv. 4. Hos. xiii. 14. 

Q,. 45. Who are their worst enemies ! 

A. The remains of corruption within them, which are 
not expelled daring this life, but left for their exercise and 
trial, Gal. v. 7. 

Q,. 46. How does he defend them against these inward 
foes 1 

A. By keeping alive in them the spark of holy fire in the 
midst of an ocean of corruption, and causing it to resist 
and overcome the same, until it is quite dried up, Rom. 
vii. 24, 25. 

Q,. 47. What are the acts of Christ's kingly office, with 
respect to his people's enemies? 

A. His [restraining- and conquering] them, 1 Cor. xv. 
25 : " He must reign till he hath put all his enemies under 
his feet." 

Q,. 48. Whence is it that this glorious King, and his sub- . 
jects, have the same enemies ? 

A. He and they make up that one body, of which he is 
the head and they are the members, 1 Cor. xii. 12; and 
therefore they cannot but have common friends and foes, 
Zech. ii. 8. 

Q,. 49. What is it for Christ to restrain his and his 
people's enemies 1 

A. It is to overrule and disappoint their wicked pur- 
poses, Isa. xxxvii. 29 ; to set limits to their wrath, and to 
bring a revenue of glory to himself out of the same, Ps. 
lxxvi. 10. 

Q,. 50. What restraints does he put upon them 1 

A. He bounds them by his power, as to the kind, degree, 
and continuance of all their enterprises and attacks upon 
his people, Job i. 12, and ii. 6. 

Q. 51. What is it for Christ to conquer all his and his 
people's enemies 1 

A. It is his taking away their power, that they cannot 
hurt the least of his little ones, with respect to their spiri- 
tual state, Luke x. 19. 

Q,. 52. How does he conquer them 1 

A. He has already conquered them in his own person, as 
the head of the new covenant, by the victory he obtained 
over them in his death, Col. ii. 15; and he conquers them 
daily in his members, when he enables them, by faith, to 
put their feet upon the neck of their vanquished foes, 
Rom. xvi. 20. 



142 



of Christ's humiliation. 



Q,. 53. What may we learn from Christ's executing his 
kingly office ! 

A. That though believers, while in this world, are in the 
midst of their enemies, " as lambs among wolves," Luke 
x. 3 ; yet by this mighty King, as the breaker, going up 
before them, Mic. ii. 13, they shall be "more than con- 
querors through him that loved them," Rom. viii. 37. 



Quest. 27. Wherein did Christ's humiliation con- 
sist ? 

Ans. Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born, 
and that in a low condition, made under the law, under- 
going the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the 
cursed death of the cross ; in being buried, and continuing 
under the power of death for a time. 

Q,. 1. What do you understand by Christ's [humiliation] 

in general 1 

A. His condescending to have that glory, which he had 
with the Father, "before the world was," John xvii. 5, 
veiled for a time, by his coming to this lower world, to be 
" a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief," Isa. liii. 3. 

Q,. 2. Was Christ's humiliation entirely voluntary ? 

A. It was voluntary in the highest degree; for, from 
eternity, he rejoiced " in the habitable part of the earth, 
and his delights were with the sons of men," Pro v. viii. 31. 

Q,. 3. What was the spring and source of Christ's hu- 
miliation ? 

A. Nothing but his own and his Father's undeserved 
love to lost mankind, Rom. v. 6. 1 John iv. 10. 

Q. 4. What are the several steps of Christ's humiliation, 
mentioned in the answer 1 

A. They are such as respect " his conception and birth, 
his life, his death," and what passed upon him, " after his 
death, until his resurrection." * 

Q,. 5. How did Christ humble himself in his conception 
and birth 1 

A. In that, being from all eternity the Son of God, " in 
the bosom of the Father, he was pleased, in the fulness of 
time, to become the Son of man, made of a tooman ; and 
to be born of her," in a very low condition, John i. 14, 18. 
Gal. iv. 4.| 

Q,. 6. What was the [loiv condition] in which he was 
born ! 



* Larger Cat. Q. 46 



t Ibid, Q. 47. 



of Christ's humiliation. 



143 



A. He was bom of a poor woman, though of royal de- 
scent, in Bethlehem, an obscure village ; and there "laid 
in a manger, because there was no room for them in the 
inn," Luke ii. 4, 5, 7. 

Q,. 7. Why is the pedigree and descent of Christ, accord- 
ing to the flesh, so particularly described by the evange- 
lists ? 

A. To evidence the faithfulness of God in his promise to 
Abraham, Gen. xxii. 18, and David, Ps. cxxxii. 11, that the 
Messiah should spring out of their seed. 

Q,. 8. Why was Christ born in such a low condition] 

A. He stooped so low that he might lift up sinners of 
mankind out of the horrible pit and miry clay, into which 
they were plunged, Ps. xl. 2. 

Q. 9. What improvement ought we to make of the incar- 
nation and birth of Christ, in such circumstances of more 
than ordinary abasement ? 

A. To admire " the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, 
that we through his poverty might be rich," 2 Cor. viii. 9 ; 
and by faith to claim a relation to him as our kinsman, 
saying, " Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given," 
Isa. ix. 6. 

Q,. 10. How did Christ humble himself in his life? 

A. In being [made under the law, undergoing the mise- 
ries of this life, and the wrath of God.] 

Q,. 11. What [law] was Christ made under as our 
Surety] 

A. Although he gave obedience to all divine institutions, 
ceremonial and political, yet it was the moral law, pro- 
perly, he was made under, as our Surety, Gal. iv. 4, 5. 

Q,. 12. How does it appear to have been the moral law 
he was made under? 

A. Because this was the law given to Adam in his crea- 
tion, and afterwards vested with the form of a covenant 
of works, when he was placed in paradise ; by the breach 
of which law, as a covenant, all mankind are brought 
under the curse, Gal. hi. 10. 

Q,. 13. Was Christ made under the moral law, as a cove- 
nant of works, or only as a rule of life ? 

A. He was made under it as a covenant of works, de- 
manding perfect obedience, as a condition of life, and full 
satisfaction because of man's transgression. 

Q,. 14. How do you prove this] 

A. From Gal. iv. 4, 5 : " God sent forth his Son — made 
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law :" 
where it is obvious, that Christ behoved to be made under 
the law, in the very same sense, in which his spiritual 
seed, whom he came to redeem, were under it; and they 
being all under it as a covenant, he behoved to be made 



144 



of Christ's humiliation. 



under it as a covenant likewise, that he might redeem 
them from its curse, Gal. iii. 1 3. 

Q,. 15. What would be the absurdity of affirming that 
Christ was made under the law as a rule, and not as a 
covenant ? 

A. It would make the apostle's meaning, in the forecited 
passage, Gal. iv. 4, 5, to be, as if he had said, Christ was 
made under the law as a rule to redeem them that were 
under the law as a rule, from all subjection and obedience 
to it ; which is the very soul of Antinomianism, and quite 
contrary to the great end of Christ's coming to the world, 
which was " not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it," Matt, 
v. 17. 

Q. 16. Why is Christ's being made under the law, men- 
tioned as* a part of his humiliation 1 

A. Because it was most amazing condescension in the 
great Lord and Lawgiver of heaven and earth, to become 
subject to his own law, and that for this very end, that he 
might fulfil it in the room of those who were the trans- 
gressors of it, and had incurred its penalty, Matt. iii. 15. 

Q,. 17. What may we learn from Christ's being made 
under the law 1 

A. The misery of sinners out of Christ, who have to 
answer to God in their own persons, for their debt, both 
of obedience and punishment, Eph. ii. 12; and the happi- 
ness of believers, who have all their debt cleared, by 
Christ's being made under the law in their room, Rom. 
viii. 1. 

Q,. 18. What were [the miseries of this life,] which Christ 
endured in his state of humiliation 1 

A. Together with our nature, he took on him its sinless 
infirmities, such as hunger, thirst, weariness, grief, and 
the like, Rom. viii. 3 ; he submitted to poverty and want, 
Matt. viii. 20; and endured likewise the assaults and 
temptations of Satan, Heb. iv. 15; together with the con- 
tradiction, reproach, and persecution of a wicked world, 
Heb. xii. 3. 

Q. 19. Why did he undergo all these 1 

A. That he might take the sting out of all the afflictions 
of his people, Rom. viii. 28 ; and sympathize with them in 
their troubles, Isa. lxiii. 9. 

Q,. 20. Were these the greatest miseries he experienced 
in this life 7 

A. No : he underwent [the wrath of God] also, Ps. 
cxvi. 3. 

Q. 21. What was it for him to undergo the wrath of 
God? 

A. It was to suffer the utmost effects of God's holy and 
righteous displeasure against sin, Ps. xc. 11. 
Q. 22. What was it that made the human nature of 



op Christ's humiliation. 



145 



Christ capable of supporting the utmost effects of the 
wrath of God 1 

A. Its union with his divine person, by which it was 
impossible it could sink under the weight, Isa. 1. 7. 

Q,. 23/ How could Christ undergo "the wrath of God, 
seeing he did " always the things that please him ? M 

A. He underwent it only as the Surety for his elect 
seed, on account of their sins which were imputed to him, 
Isa. liii. 6 : " The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us 
all." 

Q,. 24. How did it appear that he underwent the wrath 
of God? 

A. It appeared chiefly in his agony, in the garden, when 
he said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto 
death," Matt. xxvi. 38 ; at which time, " his sweat was, as 
it were, great drops of blood, falling down to the ground," 
Luke xxii. 44 ; and again, on the cross, when he " cried 
with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsa- 
ken me ?" Matt, xxvii. 46. 

Q,. 25. Was not he the object of his Father's delight, 
even when undergoing his wrath on account of our 
sin 1 

A. Yes, surely : for though the sin of the world, which 
he was bearing, was the object of God's infinite hatred ; 
yet the glorious person bearing it, was, even then, the ob- 
ject of his infinite love, Isa. liii. 10 : "It pleased the Lord 
to bruise him." , 

€1. 26. What may we learn from Christ's undergoing 
the miseries of this life, and the wrath of God? 

A. " That we must through much tribulation enter into 
the kingdom of God," Acts xiv. 22 ; and that he is " paci- 
fied towards us, for all that we have done," Ezek. 
xvi. 63. 

Q,. 27. How did Christ humble himself in his death 1 
A. By undergoing [the cursed death of the cross,] Phil. 

11. 8. 

Q,. 28. Why is the death of the cross called a [cursed 
death ?] 

A. Because God, in testimony of his anger against 
breaking the first covenant, by eating the fruit of the for- 
bidden tree, had said, " Cursed is every one that hangeth 
on a tree," Gal. iii. 1 3. 

Q,. 29. What evidences are there that Christ was made 
a curse for us in his death. 

A. In as much as there was no pity, no sparing in his 
death; God spared him not, Rom. viii. 32; and wicked 
men were let loose upon him like dogs and bulls, Ps. xxii. 

12, 16. 

Q,. 30. How does the scripture set forth the exquisite 
agony of his death 7 
Part I.— 13 



146 



of Christ's humiliation. 



A. It tells us, that " they pierced his hands and his feet < 
that he was poured out like water ; that all his bones were 
out of joint : his heart, like wax, melted in the midst of his 
bowels ; his strength dried up like a potsherd ; and his 
tongue made to cleave to his jaws," Ps. xxii. 14, 15. 

Q,. 31. How was Christ's death on the cross typified 
under the Old Testament 1 

A. By the brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness, 
" For, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of man be lifted up," John iii. 14. 

Q,. 32. Were the soul and body of Christ actually sepa- 
rated by death on the cross 1 

A. Yes ; for when " he had cried with a loud voice, he 
said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit : and 
having said this, he gave up the ghost," Luke xxiii. 46. 

Q. 33. Was either soul or body separated from his di- 
vine person 1 

A. No ; it is impossible they could be, because the union 
of the human nature to his divine person is absolutely 
inviolable, Jesus being " the same yesterday, and to-day, 
and for ever," Heb. xiii. 8. 

Q. 34. What may we learn from Christ's dying the 
cursed death of the cross 1 

A. That "he hath redeemed us from the curse of the 
law, being made a curse for us," Gal. iii. 13. 

Q. 35. How did Christ humble himself in what passed 
upon Mm after Ms death ? 

A. In being [buried and continuing- under the power of 
death for a time,] 1 Cor. xv. 4. 

Q,. 36. What respect was paid to the dead body of 
Christ before its burial 1 

A. " Joseph of Arimathea bought fine linen," Mark xv. 
43, 46, and " Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and 
aloes, and they took the body of Jesus, and wound it 
in linen clothes, with the spices, as the manner of the Jews 
is to bury," John xix. 39, 40. 

Q,. 37. Where did they bury him ? 

A. In a " new sepulchre, wherein was never man 
yet laid," John xix. 41. 

Q,. 38. Why was it ordered in providence, that he should 
be laid in a new sepulchre 1 

A. That none might have it to say, that it was another, 
and not he, that rose from the dead, Acts iv. 10. 

Q,. 39. What do you understand by these words in the 
creed, He descended into Hell? 

A. Nothing else but his descent into the grave, to be 
under the power of death, as its prisoner, Ps. xvi. 10. 

Q,. 40. What was it that gave death power and dominion 
over Christ 1 

A. His being made sin for us, 2 Cor. v. 21. 



of Christ's exaltation. 



147 



Q,. 41. Were death and the grave able to maintain their 
dominion over him 1 

A. No : because of the complete payment of all demands 
made upon him as a Surety, Rom. vi. 9. 

Q,. 42. How long [time] did he continue under the power 
of deaths 

A. Till he rose on the third day, 1 Cor. xv. 4. 
Q,. 43. Why did he continue so long under the power 
of death! 

A. To show that he was really dead, this being neces- 
sary to be believed, 1 Cor. xv. 3. 

Q,. 44. What sign, or type, was there of his continuing 
so long in the grave 1 

A. The sign of the prophet Jonas, Matt. xii. 40 : " As 
Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, 
so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in 
the heart of the earth." 

Q,. 45. Did he see corruption in the grave like other 
men 1 

A. No ; being God's Holy One, absolutely free from sin, 
his body could see no corruption, Ps. xvi. 10. 

Q,. 46. What may we learn from Christ's being buried, 
and continuing under the power of death for a time 1 

A. That the grave being " the place where the Lord 
lay," Matt, xxviii. 6, it cannot but be sweet to a dying 
saint, to think that he is to lie down in the same bed ; and 
that, in like manner, as " Jesus died and rose again, even 
so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with 
him," 2 Thess. iv. 14. 



Quest. 28. Wherein consists Christ's exaltation ? 

Ans. Christ's exaltation consists in his rising again 
from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into 
heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, 
and in coming to judge the world at the last day. 

Q,. 1. What do you understand by Christ's [exaltation ?] 
A. Not the conferring of any new glory upon his divine 
person, which is absolutely unchangeable ; but a manifes- 
tation, in the human nature, (which had eclipsed it for 
awhile,) of the same glory, of which he was eternally 
possessed as the Son of God, John xvii. 5 : " And now, O 
Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory 
which I had with thee before the world was." 

Q,. 2. Why does Christ's exaltation immediately follow 
his humiliation ? 



148 



of Christ's exaltation. 



A. Because it is the proper reward of it, Phil. iL 8, 9 : 
"He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, 
even the death of the cross; wherefore God also hath 
highly exalted him." 

Q,. 3. What is the consequence of Christ's exaltation 
with respect to himself? 

A. That the ignominy of the cross is thus fully wiped 
off, Heb. xii. 2. 

Q,. 4. What is the design of it with respect to us ? 

A. "God raised him up from the dead, and gave him 
£lory, that our faith and hope might be in God," 1 Pet. 
l 21. 

Q,. 5. What are the several steps of Christ's exaltation 
mentioned in the ansiver 1 

A. They are, his rising again from the dead; his as- 
cending up into heaven ; his sitting at the right hand of 
God ; and his coming to judge the world at the last day. 

&. 6. What is the first step of Christ's exaltation 3 

A. [His rising again from the dead on the third day,] 1 
Cor. xv. 4. 

Q,. 7. What day of the week did the [third day] fall 
upon 1 

A. Upon the first day of the Week, which is ever since, 
called the Lord's day, Rev. i. 10; and is to be observed to 
the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath, Acts 
xx. 7. 

Q,. 8. How can the day of Christ's resurrection be called 
the third day, when he was not two full days in the grave 
before ? 

A. It is usual in scripture to denominate the whole day 
from the remarkable event that happens in any hour of it : 
thus, Christ being crucified and buried on the evening be- 
fore the Jewish Sabbath, and rising early in the morning 
after it, is said to rise again, " the third day according to 
the scriptures," 1 Cor. xv. 4. 

Q,. 9. How may the truth of Christ's resurrection be 
demonstrated ? 

A. From its being prefigured and foretold, and from its 
being attested by unquestionable witnesses and infallible 
proofs, Acts i. 3. 

Q,. 10. How was the resurrection of Christ prefigured? 

A. By Abraham's receiving Isaac from the dead as a 
figure or representation of it, Heb. xi. 19. 

Q,. 11. Was his resurrection foretold in the scriptures 
of the Old Testament ! 

A. The apostle Paul expressly affirms that it was, Acts 
xiii. 32 — 38 : " The promise," says he, " which was made 
unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their 
children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is 
also written, in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this 



of Christ's exaltation. 



149 



day have I begotten thee ; and that he raised him up from 
the dead, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure 
mercies of David," Isa. lv. 3. " Wherefore he saith in an- 
other Psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see 
corruption," Ps. xvi. 10. 

Q,. 12. Did not Christ foretell his own resurrection be- 
fore he died 1 

A. Yes ; for he said, " Destroy this temple, and in three 
days I will raise it up," meaning- the temple of his body, 
John ii. 19, 21; and directed his disciples, before his death, 
to meet him in Galilee, after his resurrection, Matt. xxvi. 
32 : " After I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee." 

Q,. 13. By whom was the resurrection of Christ, at- 
tested ? 

A. By angels, by the disciples, and many others who 
saw him alive after he was risen. 

Q,. 14. What testimony did the angels give to his resur- 
rection 1 

A. They said to the women who came to the sepul- 
chre, " He is not here, for he is risen, as he said," Matt, 
xxviii. 6. 

Q. 15. How did the disciples attest tne truth of his re- 
surrection ? 

A. They unanimously declared, that " God raised him 
up the third day, and showed him openly, not to all the 
people, but unto the witnesses chosen before of God, even 
to us," says Peter, " who did eat and drink with him after 
he rose from the dead," Acts x. 40, 41. 

Q,. 16. Did Christ confirm the truth of his resurrection 
by frequent bodily appearances after it I 

A. Yes ; for on the very day he rose, " he appeared first 
to Mary Magdalene, Mark xvi. 9 ; then he appeared to her 
in company with the other Mary, Matt, xxviii. 1,9; after- 
wards he showed himself to the two disciples going to 
Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 13, 15 ; then to Simon Peter alone, ver. 
34 ; and " the same day at evening, being the first day of 
the week," he appeared to all the disciples, except Thomas, 
John xx. 19, 24 ; after eight days, he appeared to all the 
apostles, when Thomas was with them, ver. 26 ; " After 
these things Jesus showed himself again to his disciples, 
at the sea of Tiberias," John xxi. 1; then we read of his 
appearing to the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee, 
Matt, xxviii. 16 ; at which time, it is probable, he was seen 
of the five hundred brethren at once, mentioned, 1 Cor. xv. 
6: after that he was seen of James, ver. 7; and, lastly, on 
the day of his ascension, he appeared to all the disciples 
on Mount Olivet, Acts i. 9, 12. 

Q,. 17. For how long time did Christ show himself alive % 
to his disciples, after his resurrection ? 

A. Forty days, Acts i. 3. 

13* 



150 



of Christ's exaltation. 



Q,. 18. Why did he continue so long with them? 

A. That they might be fully convinced of the truth of 
his resurrection, by his appearing frequently in their pre- 
sence, and conversing familiarly with them, Acts x. 40, 41; 
and that they might be instructed in the nature and govern- 
ment of his kingdom, chap. i. 3. 

Q,. 19. How may we be sure, that the testimony of the 
disciples, who were witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, 
may be depended upon as an infallible proof of it 1 

A. Because they testified of his resurrection, as a thing 
of which they had certain and personal knowledge, and 
proclaimed it in a most public and open manner, in the 
very place where that remarkable event happened, Acts 
iii. 15, and that under the outivard disadvantages of being 
imprisoned, beaten, Acts v. 18, 40, and persecuted to death 
itself, for publishing and defending such a doctrine, Acts 
xii. 2, 3. 

Q,. 20. By whose poiver did Christ rise from the dead I 

A. Although the resurrection of Christ be frequently 
ascribed to the Father, as in Eph. i. 20 ; yet, in opposition 
to the Socinians, and other enemies of the Deity of Christ, 
it is to be maintained, that he rose also by his own divine 
povjer, as is evident from Rom. i. 4. 

Q. 21. How may it further appear, that he rose by his 
own divine power 3 

A. He expressly affirms, that he would raise up the 
temple of his body on the third day, John ii. 19; and that 
he had power to lay down his life and to take it again, 
chap. x. 18. 

Q,. 22. In what capacity did he rise from the dead } 
A. In the capacity of a public person, representing all 
his spiritual seed; and as having their discharge in his 
hand, Rom. iv. 25. 

Q,. 23. What was the necessity of Christ's resurrec- 
tion 1 

A. It was necessary in respect of God, in respect of 
Christ himself, and in respect of us. 

Q,. 24. Why was it necessary in respect of God ? 

A. Because, since he is the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, it was necessary that he should not be the 
God of a dead, but of a living Redeemer : for he is " not 
the God of the dead, but of the living," Matt. xxii. 32. 

Q,. 25. Why was the resurrection of Christ necessary 
with respect to himself? 

A. Because, having fully paid the debt for which he was 
incarcerated, justice required that he should be taken from 
prison and from judgment, Isa. liii. 8 ; and that, since he 
purchased a kingdom by his death, he should rise again to 
possess it, Rom. xiv. 9. 

Q,. 26. Why was it necessary with respect to us I 



of Christ's exaltation. 



151 



A. Because, "if Christ be not risen, our faith is vain, 
and we are yet in our sins," 1 Cor. xv. 17. 

Q,. 27. Did Christ rise with the self-same body in which 
he suffered] 

A. Yes; for, says he to Thomas, "Reach hither thy 
linger, and behold my hands ; and reach hither thy hand, 
and thrust it into my side : and be not faithless, but be- 
lieving," John xx. 27. 

Q,. 28. What remarkable circumstances accompanied 
the resurrection of Christ ? 

A. It was accompanied with a great earthquake, the 
attendance of angels, and such terror upon the keepers, 
that they "did shake, and became as dead men," Matt, 
xxviii. 2, 4. 

Q,. 29. In what manner did the high priest and elders 
vainly attempt to smother the truth of his resurrection ? 

A. They bribed the soldiers to say, " his disciples came 
by night, and stole him away, while we slept," Matt, 
xxviii. 12, 13. 

Q,. 30. How does the falsehood of this ill-made story 
appear at first sight 1 

A. From this : that it is not to be supposed the whole 
company of soldiers, who guarded the sepulchre, would 
be all asleep at once, especially considering the great 
earthquake that accompanied the rolling away the stone, 
and the severity of the Roman military discipline, in like 
cases, Acts xii. 19; and if they were really asleep, how 
could they know that the disciples came and stole him 
away 1 

Q,. 31. What does the doctrine of Christ's resurrection 
teach us ? 

A. That he must needs be a God of peace, who " brought 
again from the dead our Lord Jesus," Heb. xiii. 20 ; that 
death and the grave are unstinged and vanquished, 1 Cor. 
xv. 55 ; and that his resurrection is a certain pledge and 
earnest of the resurrection of his members at the last day, 
he having " become the first fruits of them that slept," 
ver. 20. 

Q,. 32. What is the second step of Christ's exaltation? 

A. [His ascending up into heaven,] Ps. lxviii. 18. 

Q. 33. Does not Christ's [ascending up into heaven,] pre- 
suppose his descending thence 1 

A. Yes ; for so argues the apostle ; " Now that he as- 
cended, what is it but that he also descended first into the 
lower parts of the earth," Eph. iv. 9. 

Q,. 34. Did Christ, when he is said to descend, bring a 
human nature from heaven with him? 

A. By no means ; for the human nature was made of a 
woman, on this earth, by the overshadoiving power of the 
Holy Ghost, Luke i. 35 ; but his descending signifies his 



152 



of Christ's exaltation. 



amazing condescension, in assuming our nature into per- 
sonal union with himself, Phil. ii. 6, 7. 

Q,. 35. How is the ascension of Christ expressed in 
scripture ! 

A. By his going away, John xvi. 7; his being " received 
up into heaven," Mark xvi. 19 ; and his having " entered 
once into the holy place," Heb. ix. 12. 

Q,. 36. As to which of his two natures is he properly 
said to ascend ! 

A. Although Christ ascended personally into heaven, 
yet ascension is properly attributed to his human nature, 
as the divine nature is every where present, John hi. 1 3. 

Q,. 37. From what part of the earth did Christ ascend 
into heaven 1 

A. He ascended from Mount Olivet, which was nigh to 
Bethany, Luke xxiv. 50, compared with Acts i. 12. 

Q. 38. What is worthy of consideration in this circum- 
stance, that he ascended from Mount Olivet ? 

A. In the Mount of Olives was the place where his soul 
was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death; and where 
he was in such an agony, that " his sweat was, as it were, 
great drops of blood falling down to the ground," Luke 
xxii. 39, 44 ; and therefore, in that very place, his heart is 
made glad by a triumphant ascension into that fulness of 
joy, and those pleasures for evermore, that are at God's 
right hand, Ps. xvi. 11. 

Q,. 39. Whither did Christ ascend, or to what, place ? 

A. He ascended up [into heaven,] Acts i. 10, 11. 

Q,. 40. When did Christ ascend into heaven ] 

A. When forty days after his resurrection were elapsed, 
Acts i. 3. 

Q,. 41. Who were the witnesses of his ascension? 

A. The eleven disciples were eye witnesses of it ; for, 
" while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received 
him out of their sight," Acts i. 9. 

Q,. 42. What was he doing when he parted from them 1 

A. He was blessing them, Luke xxiv. 51 : " And it came 
to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, 
and carried up into heaven." 

Q,. 43. What was his parting word 1 

A. " Lo ! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world," Matt, xxviii. 20. 

Q,. 44. In what capacity did Christ ascend 1 

A. In a public capacity, as representing his whole mys- 
tical body : hence he is called the Forerunner, who " is, for 
us, entered within the veil," Heb. vi. 20. 

Q,. 45. With what solemnity did he ascend 1 

A. With the solemnity of a glorious triumph : for, hav- 
ing vanquished sin, Satan, hell, and death, he ascended up 
on high, leading captivity captive, Eph. iv. 8. 



of Christ's exaltation. 



153 



Q,. 46. Who went in his retinue 7 

A. Thousands of angels, sounding forth his praise, as a 
victorious conqueror, Ps. lxviii. 17. 

Q,. 47. What evidence did he give from heaven, of the 
reality of his ascension 1 

A. The extraordinary effusion of the Holy Ghost on the 
day of Pentecost, within a few days after it, Acts ii. 1, 3, 4. 

Q,. 48. Why was this remarkable down-pouring of the 
Spirit delayed till after Christ's ascension 1 

A. That he might evidence his bounty and liberality, 
upon his instalment into the kingdom, by giving " gifts 
unto men," Eph. iv. 8. 

Q,. 49. For what end did Christ ascend up into heaven 1 

A. That he might take possession of the many mansions 
there, and prepare them for his people, by carrying in the 
merit of his oblation thither, John xiv. 2, 3 ; and likewise, 
that he might make continual intercession for them, Heb, 
vii. 25. 

Q. 50. Wliat does the ascension of Christ teach us 1 
A. That he has brought in an everlasting righteousness, 
because he has gone to his Father, John xvi. 10; and to 
believe that he will come again to receive us to himself, 
that where he is, there we may be also, chap. xiv. 3. 
Q,. 51. What is the third step of Christ's exaltation 1 
A. His [sitting at the right hand of God the Father,] 
Eph. i. 20. 

Q,. 52. What is meant by the [right hand] in scripture? 
A. The place of the greatest honour and dignity, 1 Kings 
ii. 19. 

Q,. 53. What is meant by [sitting ?] 

A. It implies rest and quietness, Micah iv. 4 : " They 
shall sit, every man under his vine, and under his fig-tree, 
and none shall make them afraid:" and likewise power 
and authority, Zech. vi. 13: "He shall sit and rule upon 
his throne." 

Q,. 54. What then are we to understand by Christ's [sit- 
ting at the right hand of God the Father ?] 

A. The quiet and peaceable possession of that match- 
less dignity, and fulness of power, with which he is vested, 
as the glorious King and Head of his church, Eph. i. 21, 22. 

Q. 55. For what end does he sit at the right hand of the 
Father? 

A. That he may there represent his people, and make 
his enemies his footstool. 

Q,. 56. How does it appear that he represents his people 
at the right hand of God 1 

A. Because they are said to " sit together in heavenly 
places in Christ Jesus," which can only be meant of their 
sitting representatively in him, as their glorious Head, 
Eph. ii. 6. 



154 



of Christ's exaltation. 



Q,. 57. How are the enemies of Christ made his foot- 
stool ] 

A. By the triumphant victory which is obtained over 
them, Ps. lxxii. 9 ; and the extremity of shame, horror, and 
confusion, with which they shall be covered, Ps. cxxxii. 18. 

Q,. 58. When shall his enemies be made his footstool ? 

A. He has already triumphed over them in his cross, 
Col. ii. 15; but he will make his final conquest conspicu- 
ous to the whole world at the last day, Rev. xx. 10, 14. 

Q,. 59. How long will Christ sit at the right hand of God 
the Father? 

A. For ever and ever, Ps. xlv. 6 : " Thy throne, O God, 
is for ever and ever." 

Q. 60. Will Christ's mediatory power and authority, at 
the right hand of God, be the same in the church trium- 
phant in heaven, as it is in the church militant on earth? 

A. It will be the same as to the essence or substance of 
it, but different as to the manner of its administration. 

Q,. 61. In what consists the essence of Christ's mediatory 
power and authority in heaven 1 

A. In the relation in which he stands to the members of 
his body : he will continue for ever to be the King, Head, 
and Husband of the church triumphant, the fountain of 
all blessing and happiness to them, and the bond of their 
perpetual fellowship and communion with God, Ps. xlviii. 
14. Hos. ii. 19. Rev. vii. 17. 

Q,. 62. What is the difference between the manner of 
the administration of his mediatory power here and here- 
after ? 

A. The administration of his kingdom on this earth, is, 
by the ministry of the word, the dispensation of the sacra- 
ments, and the exercise of ecclesiastical government and 
discipline : but in heaven, there will be no use for any of 
these, Rev. xxi. 22 : " I saw no temple therein : for the 
Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple of it." 

Q,. 63. What is meant then by Christ's delivering "up 
the kingdom to God, even the Father 1 Cor. xv. 24. 

A. The meaning is, Christ having completed the salva- 
tion of his church, will present all and every one of them 
to his " Father, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such 
thing," Eph. v. 27, saying, " Behold ! I, and the children 
which God hath given me," Heb. ii. 13. 

Q,. 64. W r hat is meant by Christ's putting down all rule, 
and all authority, and power, in the above passage, 1 Cor. 
xv. 24 7 

A. The meaning is, he will have no occasion to exercise 
his power and authority, in such sort as he did before ; 
as there will be no more elect to save, and no more enemies 
to conquer, Rev. xix. 8, 20. 

Q,. 65. In what sense will the " Son also himself be sub- 



of Christ's exaltation. 



155 



ject to him that put all things under him ?" as it is said, 
ver. 28. 

A. The Son, as Mediator, being the Father's servant in 
the great work of redemption, Isa. xlii. 1, shall then be 
" subject to him that put all things under him," in so far, 
as having finished his mediatorial service, in bringing all 
the elect to glory, he will render up his commission, as his 
Father's delegate, not to be executed any more, in the 
former manner, as ruling over his church in the midst of 
enemies ; for he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies 
under his feet, 1 Cor. xv. 25. 

Q,. 66. In what respect is it said, that God shall (hen be 
all in all 1 

A. The glory of the Three-one God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, will then be most clearly displayed, and no 
more a seeing " through a glass darkly, but face to face," 
1 Cor. xiii. 12, and a seeing him as he is, 1 John iii. 2. 

Q,. 67. What may we learn from Christ's sitting at the 
right hand of God 1 

A. That we ought to " seek those things which are 
above," where Christ is ; and to " set our affections on 
things above, not on things on the earth," Col. iii. 1, 2. 

Q. 68. What is the fourth step of Christ's exaltation 1 

A. His [coming to judge the world at the last day,] Rev. 
i. 7. John xii. 48. 

Q,. 69. How do you prove that there will be a general 
judgment ? 

A. The scripture expressly asserts it; and the justice 
and goodness of God necessarily require it. 

Q. 70. Where is it expressly asserted in scripture ? 

A. In many places ; particularly Acts xvii. 31 : " He hath 
appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in 
righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained," &c. 
See also 2 Cor. v. 10. Jude, ver. 6. Rev. xx. 11 — 13. 

Q,. 71. Why do the justice and goodness of God require 
a judgment 1 

A. Because they necessarily require that it be well with 
the righteous and ill with the wicked ; that every man be 
rewarded according to his works, which not being done 
in this life, there must be a judgment to come : " Seeing 
it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation 
to them that trouble you ; and to you who are troubled, 
rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from 
heaven," 2 Thess. i. 6, 7. 

Q. 72. Who is to be the Judge ? 

A. The Son of man, the man Christ Jesus, Matt. xxv. 
31. Rom. xiv. 10. 

Q,. 73. How will Christ, as God-man, be Judge, when it 
is said, (Ps. 1. 6,) that God is Judge himself? 

A. The Three-one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 



156 



of Christ's exaltation. 



is Judge, in respect of judiciary authority, dominion, and 
power ; but Christ, as God-man, Mediator, is the Judge, 
in respect of dispensation and special exercise of that 
power, John v. 22: "The Father — hath committed all 
judgment unto the Son." 

Q,. 74. Why is the judgment of the world committed to 
Christ as mediator 1 

A. Because it is a part of that exaltation, which is con- 
ferred upon him, in consequence of his voluntary humi- 
liation, Phil. ii. 8—10.. 

Q,. 75. When will Christ come to judge the world? 

A. [At the last day,] John vi. 39, 40. 

Q,. 76. Why is it called the last day ? 

A. Because, after it time shall be no more ; there will 
be no more a succession of days and nights, but one per- 
petual day of light, comfort, and joy, to the righteous, Rev. 
xxi. 23 ; and one perpetual night of utter darkness, misery, 
and wo, unto the wicked, Matt, xxi v. 30. 

Q. 77. In what manner will Christ come to judge the 
world ! 

A. In a most splendid and glorious manner: "for he 
will come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great 
glory," Matt, xxi v. 30 : — " In the glory of his Father,"with 
the holy angels," Mark viii. 38. 

Q,. 78. Will the world be looking for him when he comes 
to judgment 1 

A. No: his coming will be a fearful surprise to the 
world ; for " the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in 
the night," 2 Pet. hi. 10. See also Luke xvii. 26—31. 

Q,. 79. What is the difference between his first and 
second coming ) 

A. In his first coming, " he was made sin for us, though 
he knew no sin," 2 Cor. v. 21 ; but " he shall appear the 
second time without sin unto salvation," Heb. ix. 28. 

Q,. 80. Is the precise time of his second coming known 
to men or angels ? 

A. No: it is fixed in the counsel of God, but not re- 
vealed to us, Mark xiii. 32. 

Q,. 81. What will be the forerunner of his second com- 
ing? 

A. The preaching of the gospel to all nations, Matt. xxiv. 
14; the downfal of Antichrist, Rev. xviii. 21; the conver- 
sion of the Jews, Rev. xvi. 12 ; and yet, after all, a gene- 
ral decay of religion, and great security, Luke xviii. 8. 

Q. 82. What are the qualities of the Judge? 

A. He will be a visible Judge, "every eye shall see 
him," Rev. i. 7 ; an omniscient Judge, " all things will be 
naked and opened unto his eyes," Heb. iv. 13 ; a most just 
and righteous Judge, 2 Tim. iv. 8 ; and an omnipotent 
Judge, able to put his sentence into execution, Rev. vi. 17. 



of Christ's exaltation. 



157 



Q,. 83. Who are the parties that shall appear } 
A. All mankind, called all nations, Matt. xxv. 32 ; and 
likewise, "the angels which kept not their first estate," 
Jude, verse 6. 

Q. 84. What summons will be given to the parties 1 
A. " The voice of the archangel and the trump of God," 
1 Thess. iv. 16. 

Q,. 85. Will any of them be able to contemn the sum- 
mons 1 

A. By no means : " all shall stand before the judgment 
seat of Christ ; and every one shall give account of him- 
self to God," Rom. xiv. 10, 12. 

Q,. 86. Where will be his throne of judgment 1 - 
A. In the clouds, or aerial heavens ; for we read of being 
" caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air," 1 
Thess. iv. 17. 

Q,. 87. By whom shall all mankind, great and small, be 
gathered to the bar of the Judge ? 

A. By the angels, who shall gather together all the elect, 
Mark xiii. 27, and likewise the reprobate, Matt. xiii. 41. 

Q. 88. Will the elect and reprobate stand together, in 
one assembly, to be judged ? 

A. No : they shall be " separated one from another, as 
a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats," Matt, 
xxv. 32. 

Q,. 89. How will they be assorted and separated, the 
one from the other 1 

A. The elect, who are called the sheep, being " caught 
up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air," 1 
Thess. iv. 17, shall be set on his right hand;" and the re- 
probate, being the goats, are left on the earth, (Matt. xxiv. 
40,) upon the judge's left hand, Matt. xxv. 33. 

Q. 90. What kind of a separation will this be 1 

A. It will be a total and final separation, never to meet 
or be fixed with one another any more, Matt. xxv. 46. 

Q,. 91. Will any man be a mere spectator of these two 
opposite companies 1 

A. No, surely : every man and woman must take their 
place in one of the two ; and shall share with the company, 
whatever hand it be upon. Matt. xxv. 33. 

Q,. 92. What will be the subject matter of the trial? 

A. Men's works, " for God shall bring every work into 
judgment," &c., Eccl. xii. 14 ; their words, " every idle 
word that men speak, they shall give account thereof in 
the day of judgment," Matt. xii. 36 ; and their thoughts, 
for he " will make manifest the counsels of the heart," 1 
Cor. iv. 5. 

Q,. 93. Why are books said to be opened at this solemn 
trial? Rev. xx. 12. 
Part I.— 14 



158 



of Christ's exaltation. 



A. Not to prevent mistakes in any point of law or fact, 
for the Judge has an infallible knowledge of all things ; 
but to show that his proceeding is most accurate, just, and 
well-grounded in every step of it, Gen. xviii. 25. 

Q,. 94. What are these books that shall be opened, and 
men " judged out of these things, which are written in the 
books ?" 

A. The book of God's remembrance, Mai. hi. 16; the 
book of conscience, Rom. ii. 15; the book of the law, Gal. 
iii. 10: and the book of life, Rev. xx. 12. 

Q. 95. What is the book of GooVs remembrance ? 

A. It is the same with his omniscience, by which he 
knows exactly every man's state, thoughts, words, and 
deeds, whether good or bad, John xxi. 17: "Lord, thou 
knowest all things." 

Q,. 96. For what will this book serve ? 

A. It will serve for an indictment against the ungodly: 
but with respect to the saints, it will be a memorial of all 
the good they have ever done, Matt. xxv. 35 — 41. 

Q,. 97. What kind of a book is that of conscience ? 

A. It is just a duplicate of God's book of remembrance, 
so far as it relates to one's own state and case, Rom. ii. 15. 

Q. 98. What is the book of the law ? 

A. It is the standard and rule of right and wrong, Rom. 
vii. 7 : and likewise of the sentence that shall be passed 
upon those who are under it, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q. 99. Why will this book be opened ? 

A. That all on the left hand may read their sentence in 
it, before it be pronounced, Ezek. xviii. 4. 

Q,. 100. By what law will the heathens be judged? 

A. By the natural law, or the light of nature, which 
shows that they who commit such things (as they shall be 
convicted of) are worthy of death, Rom. i. 32. 

Q,. 101. By what law will Jews and Christians be judged] 

A. By the written law, Rom. ii. 12: "As many as have 
sinned in the law," that is, under the written law, " shall 
be judged by the" written " law." 

Q,. 102. Whether will Christians or Heathens be most 
inexcusable 1 

A. Beyond all doubt, it will be more tolerable for Tyre 
and Sidon and other heathen countries, at the day of 
judgment, than for those who enjoyed the light of the gos- 
pel, and despised it, Matt. xi. 22, 24. 

4. 103. Will the book of the law be opened for the 
sentence of the saints ? 

A. No ; for being, in this life, brought under a new 
covenant, they are no more under the law, but under grace, 
Rom. vi. 14 ; and therefore another book must be opened 
for their sentence. 



of Christ's exaltation. 



159 



Q. 104. What is that other book out of which the saints 
shall be judged 1 

A. It is the book of life, Rev. xx. 12. 

Q,. 105. What is registered in this book? 

A. The names of all the elect, Luke x. 20 : " Your names 
are written in heaven," Rev. iii. 5 : " I will not blot his 
name out of the book of life." 

Q. 106. Why is it called the book of life! 

A. Because it contains God's gracious and unchange- 
able purpose, to bring all the elect to salvation, or eternal 
life, " through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the 
truth," 2 Thess. ii. 13. 

Q,. 107. In whose hands is the book lodged! 

A. In the hands of the Mediator, Christ Jesus, Deut. 
xxxiii. 3 : " All his saints are in thy hand." 

Q,. 108. What is the ground of the saints' acquittal, 
according to this book ? 

A. The book of life being opened, it will be known to 
all who are elected, and who not : Christ will, as it were, 
read out every man's and woman's name recorded in this 
book, Rev. iii. 5 : " I will confess his name before my 
Father, and before his angels." 

Q,. 109. Whether will the cause of the righteous or the 
wicked be first discussed I 

A. As " the dead in Christ shall rise first," (1 Thess. iv. 
16,) so it appears from Matt. xxv. 34, and 41, compared, 
that the judgment of the saints, on the right hand, will 
have the preference. 

Q,. 110. What is the blessed sentence that shall be pro- 
nounced upon the saints 1 

A. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world," 
Matt. xxv. 34. 

Q,. 111. For what reason will this sentence be pronoun- 
ced first ? 

A. Because the saints are to sit in judgment, as Christ's 
assessors, against wicked men and apostate angels, 1 Cor. 
vi. 3, 4. 

Q. 112. Upon what footing or foundation will this sen- 
tence pass ] 

A. Upon the footing of free grace alone, reigning 
through the imputed righteousness of the Surety, unto 
eternal life, Rom. v. 21. 

Q,. 113. Is it not said, Rev. xx. 13, that they are "judged 
every man according to their works V 

A. The sentence passes upon the saints, according 
to their works, as flowing from a heart renewed and 
sanctified ; but neither for their works, nor for their faith, 
as if eternal life were in any way merited by them, Gal. 
iii. 18 ; for the kingdom is said to be prepared for them ; 



160 



of Christ's exaltation. 



they inherit it as children, Rom. viii. 17; but do not pro- 
cure it to themselves, as servants do their wages, Col. 
iv. 1. 

Q,. 114. Are not good works mentioned as the ground of 
the sentence, Matt. xxv. 35, 36 : "I was a hungered, and 
ye gave me meat V &c. 

A. These good works are mentioned, not as grounds 
of their sentence, but as evidences of their union with 
Christ, and of their right and title to heaven in him, John 
xv. 5, 8 ; even as the apostle says in another case, of the 
unbelieving Jews, 1 Cor. x. 5 : " With many of them God 
was not well pleased ; for they were overthrown in the 
wilderness:" their overthrow in the wilderness, was not 
the ground of God's displeasure with them, but the evi- 
dence of it. 

Q, 115. Will there be any mention made of the sins of 
the righteous ? 

A. It appears not ; " In that time, the iniquity of Israel 
shall be sought for, and there shall be none : and the sins 
of Judah, and they shall not be found," Jer. v. 20. " Who 
shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect 1 It is God 
that justifieth," &c. Rom. viii. 33, 34. 

Q,. 116. What will follow upon the saints' receiving their 
sentence of absolution ? 

A. They " shall judge the world," 1 Cor. vi. 2. 

Q,. 117. In what way and manner shall they judge the 
world l 

A. As assessors to Christ the Judge, assenting to his 
judgment as just, Rev. xix. 2, and saying Amen to the 
doom pronounced against all the ungodly, Ps. cxlix. 
6—9. 

Q. 118. What will be the sentence of damnation that 
shall pass upon the ungodly 1 

A. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, 
prepared for the devil and his angels," Matt, xxv, 41. 

Q,. 119. How is the misery of the wicked aggravated, 
by the pronouncing of tliis sentence 1 

A. In as much as they are damned by him who came to 
save sinners, Heb. ii. 3, and must undergo the wrath of 
the Lamb, from which they can make no escape, Rev. vi. 
16, 17. 

Q,. 120. Is there any injury or wrong done them by this 
sentence ? 

A. By no means : for, says our Lord, " I was a hunger- 
ed, and ye gave me no meat," &c. Matt. xxv. 42, 43. 

Q,. 121. Are these evils no more than evidences of their 
accursed state 3 

A. They are not only evidences of their ungodly state, 
but they are the proper causes and grounds of their con- 
demnation: for, though good works do not merit salva- 



op Christ's exaltation. 



161 



tion, yet evil works merit damnation, Rom. vi. 23 : The 
wages of sin is death. 

Q. 122. Why are only sins of omission mentioned in 
the above passage ? 

A. To show, that if men shall be condemned for sins of 
omission, James ii. 13, much more for those of commission, 
Rom. ii. 23, 24. 

Q,. 123. What will follow upon the sentence of condem- 
nation against the wicked ] 

A. The immediate execution of it, without the least re- 
prieve or delay, Matt. xxii. 13. 

Q,. 124. Will the devils also be judged 1 

A. Yes ; they are " reserved unto the judgment of the 
great day," Jude verse 6. 

Q,. 125. How can they be said to be reserved unto the 
judgment of that day, when they are condemned already? 

A. Though, from the first moment of their sinning, they 
were actually under the wrath of God, and ever since 
carry their hell about with them, yet their final sentence 
to further judgment is reserved for that day, 2 Pet. ii. 4. 

Q,. 1 26. What is the fina l sentence, or f urther judgment, 
to which they are reserved ? 

A. It will be a most dreadful addition, and accession to 
their present torments, not only by the holy triumph which 
the saints shall have over them, as vile, vanquished, and 
contemptible enemies; but likewise, by the eternal re- 
straint that shall be laid upon them, from hurting the elect 
any more ; and that, by their being shut up, and closely 
confined in the prison of hell, under the utmost extremity 
of anguish and horror for ever and ever, Rev. xx. 10. 

Q. 127. Who will keep the field on that day? 

A. Christ and his glorious company : they shall see the 
backs of all their enemies, for the damned shall go off first ; 
as seems to be intimated in the order mentioned, Matt, 
xxv. 46 : " These shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment, but the righteous into life eternal." 

Q,. 128. What improvement ought we to make of Christ's 
coming to judge the world at the last day 1 

A. To be diligent that we be " found of him in peace at 
that day," 2 Pet. iii. 14, by closing with him in the offer of 
the gospel now : to be " looking for, and hasting unto the 
coming of the day of God," ver. 12, having our "loins 
girded about, and our lights burning," Luke xii. 35 ; that 
so, when he comes, whether at death or judgment, we 
may be able to say, with joy, " Lo ! this is our God, we 
have waited for him," Isa. xxv. 9. 



14* 



162 



OF THE APPLICATION. OF 



Quest. 29. Hoiv are ive made partakers of the re- 
demption purchased by Christ 1 

Ans. We are made partakers of the redemption pur- 
chased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us 
by his Holy Spirit. 

Q,. 1. What may we understand by [redemption] in this 
answer ? 

A. The whole of that salvation which is revealed and 
exhibited in the gospel, Ps. cxxx. 7, 8. 

Q,. 2. Why is redemption said to be [purchased?] 

A. Because having brought ourselves into a state of 
bondage and servitude, Gal. iv. 24, we could not be ran- 
somed, but at a great price, 1 Cor. vi. 20. 

Q,. 3. What was the price of our redemption ! 

A. The precious blood of Christ, 1 Pet. i. 19. 

Q,. 4. What is it to be [partakers] of this redemption 1 

A. It is to have a share in it, or to be entered upon the 
begun possession of it, 1 Cor. x. 17. 

Q,. 5. Can we make ourselves partakers of redemption 1 

A. No ; we must be [made] partakers of it, Heb. iii. 14 : 
We are made partakers of Christ, &c. 

Q,. 6. Why cannot we make ourselves partakers of it? 

A. Because we are altogether without strength, Rom. 
v. 6 ; and utterly averse to all spiritual good, John v. 40. 

Q,. 7. How then are we made partakers of redemption 1 

A. [By the application of it to us.] 

Q,. 8. What is meant by the [application] of redemption 
[to us ?] 

A. The conferring all the benefits of it upon us, and 
making them our own, by way of free gift, John x. 28 : "I 
give unto them eternal life." 

Q,. 9. How was the application of redemption typified 
under the Old Testament 1 

A. By sprinkling the blood of the sacrifice upon the 
people, Ex, xxiv. 8. 

Q,. 10. Does not the application of redemption presup* 
pose the purchase of it ? 

A. Yes ; if it were not first purchased, it could never 
be applied, Job xxxiii. 24. 

Q,. 11. How then could it be applied to the Old Testa- 
ment saints, when it was not then actually purchased 1 

A. It was applied upon the credit of the bond, which the 
Surety gave from eternity, of making a meritorious pur- 
chase in the fulness of time, Prov. viii. 23, 31. 

Q,. 12. Can the purchase of redemption avail us, if it is 
not applied I 



THE PURCHASED REDEMPTION. 



163 



A. No more than meat can feed, clothes warm, or medi- 
cines heal us, if they are not used, John i. 12. 

Q,. 13. When may the application of redemption be said 
to be [effectual ?] 

A. When it produces the saving effects for which it is 
designed. 

Q,. 14. What are these saving effects ? 

A. The opening of the eyes of sinners, and "turning 
them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
to God," Acts xx vi. 18. 

Q,. 15. If the application of redemption be effectual, what 
need is there of any after endeavours, to grow in grace 
and holiness 3 

A. The giving us all things that pertain to life and god- 
liness is the greatest encouragement and excitement to add 
to our faith, virtue, &c. ; that is, to use all suitable endea- 
vours, in the strength of grace, after spiritual growth, 
2 Pet. i. 3, 5. 

Q,. 16. Is there any application of redemption that is not 
effectual I 

A. Yes ; there is an outward application of it in baptism, 
which is not, of itself, effectual, as is evident in the instance 
of Simon Magus, who was baptized, and yet remained in 
the " gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity," Acts 
viii. 13, 23. 

Q,. 17. By whom is the redemption purchased by Christ 
effectually applied 1 

A. [By his Holy Spirit,] Tit. iii. 5, 6. 

Q,. 18. Why is the application of redemption ascribed to 
the [Spirit ?] 

A. To show that each of the three persons, in the ador- 
able Trinity, is equally hearty and cordial in the work of 
man's redemption ; the Father in ordaining, the Son in 
purchasing, and the Spirit in applying it, John vi. 57, 63. 

Q,. 19. W r hy is the Spirit, in this work, called the [Holy 
Spirit ?] 

A. Because, as he is essentially holy, Ps. li. 11; so he is 
holy in all his works and operations, Rom. xv. 16. 

20. Why is redemption said to be applied by the Spirit 
of Christ, or [His] Holy Spirit? 

A. Because the Spirit is sent for this work more imme- 
diately by Christ, and through his mediation, John xiv. 16, 
as the leading fruit of his purchase, John xiv. 7. 

Q. 21. What is the difference between the purchase of 
redemption and the application of it ? 

A. The purchase of redemption is a work done without 
us, Isa. lxiii. 3 ; but the application of it takes place within 
us, Rom. viii. 26. 

Q,. 22. To whom is redemption effectually applied by 
the Spirit 1 



164 



OF UNION WITH CHRIST 



A. " To all those for whom Christ has purchased it," 
John x. 15, 16,* and to none else. 

Q,. 23. " Can they who have never heard the gospel, and 
so know not Jesus Christ, nor believe in him, be saved 
by their living according to the light of nature )" 

A. " They — cannot be saved, John viii. 24, be they ever 
so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of 
nature, 1 Cor. i. 20, 21, or the laws of that religion which 
they profess, John iv. 22 ; neither is there salvation in any 
other but in Christ alone, Acts iv. 12, who is the Saviour 
only of his body the Church, Eph. v. 23."f 

Q,. 24. What means does the Spirit make use of in the 
application of redemption 7 

A. The Spirit of God makes use of the reading, 2 Tim. iii. 
15, 16, but especially the preaching of the word, for this end, 
Rom. x. 17. 

Q,. 25. Are these means of themselves effectual 1 

A. Not without the power and efficacy of the Spirit 
accompanying them, ] Thess. i. 5. 

Q,. 26. What is incumbent on us, in way of duty, that 
the redemption, purchased by Christ, may be effectually 
applied to us 1 

A. To search for the knowledge of Christ as for hid 
treasure, Prov. ii. 4, and to pray for the Spirit to testify 
of Christ, John xv. 26, in the faith of his own promise : 
" He shall glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and 
shall show it unto you," chap. xvi. 14. 



Quest. 30. How does the Spirit apply to us the re- 
demption purchased by Christ ? 

Ans. The Spirit applies to us the redemption purchased 
by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us 
to Christ, in our effectual calling. 

Q,. 1. What is the special work of the Spirit in the ap- 
plication of redemption! 

A. It is the [uniting us to Christ,"] Rom. viii. 9, 11. 

Q,. 2. Can we have no share in the redemption pur- 
chased by Christ, without union to his person 1 

A. No ; because all purchased blessings are lodged in 
his person, John iii. 35, and go along with it, 1 John v. 12. 

Q,. 3. What is it to be united to his person ? 

A. It is to be joined to, or made one with him, 1 Cor. 
vi. 17. 

* Larger Catechism, Q. 59. t Larger Catechism, Q. 6d 



OF UNION WITH CHRIST. 



165 



Q,. 4. Is it then a personal union 1 

A. No ; it is indeed a union of persons, but not a per- 
sonal union : believers make not one person with Christ, 
but one body mystical, of which he is the head, 1 Cor. xii. 
12, 27. 

Q,. 5. How can we be united to Christ, seeing he is in 
heaven, and we on earth 1 

A. Although the human nature of Christ be in heaven, 
yet his person is every where, Matt, xxviii. 20. 

Q,. 6. Where can he be found on earth, in order to our 
being united to him 1 

A. In the word, which is nigh to us, and Christ in it, 
Rom. x. 8, 9. 

Q,. 7. By what means are we united to Christ as brought 
nigh in the word 7 

A. By means of [faith] or believing, Eph. iii. 17: " That 
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." 

Q,. 8. Is it the indispensable duty of all who hear the 
word, to believe on Christ, or come to him by faith ! 

A. It certainly is ; for, " This is his commandment, that 
we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ," 
1 John iii. 23. 

Q,. 9. Are any that hear the word able to believe of 
themselves 1 

A. No ; faith is " not of ourselves, it is the gift of God," 
Eph. ii. 8. 

Q,. 10. How then come we by faith? 

A. By the Spirit's [working] it [in us:] and therefore 
called the Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. iv. 13, because he is the 
principal and efficient cause of it. 

Q,. 11. Why can no less a worker than the Spirit of God 
produce this faith 1 

A. Because it is a work that requires almighty power, 
even the same power which was wrought in Christ, when 
he was raised from the dead, Eph. i. 19, 20. 

Q,. 12. What is the end, or design, of the Spirit in work- 
ing faith in us 2 

A. It is the [uniting us to Christ,] Eph. iii. 17. 

Q,. 13. To whom are sinners united before union with 
Christ 1 

A. To the first Adam, Rom. v. 12. 

Q,. 14. By what bond are they united to the first Adam ? 

A. By the bond of the covenant of works, by which 
Adam, who was the natural root of his posterity, became 
their moral root also, bearing them as their representative 
in that covenant, Rom. v. 19. 

Q,. 15. How is this union dissolved? 

A. By being 44 married to another, even to him who is 
raised from the dead," Rom. vii. 4. 



J 66 



OF UNION WITH CHRIST. 



Q,. 16. Is Christ united to us before we become united 
to him ? 

A. The union is mutual, but it begins first on his side, 
1 John iv. J 9. 

Q,. 17. How does it begin first on his side 1 

A. By unilion, which is before union. 

Q. 18. What do you understand by unition? 

A. It is the Spirit of Christ uniting himself first to us, 
according to the promise, "I will put my Spirit within 
you," Ezek. xxxvi. 27. 

Q. 19. How does the Spirit of Christ unite himself first 
to us? 

A. By coming into the soul, at the happy moment ap- 
pointed for the spiritual marriage with Christ, and quick- 
ening it, so that it is no more morally dead, but alive, having 
new spiritual powers put into it, Eph. ii. 5 : " Even when 
we were dead in sins, he hath quickened us." 

Q. 20. Is the Spirit of Christ, upon his first entrance, 
actively or passively received? 

A. The soul, morally dead in sin, can be no more than 
a mere passive recipient, Ezek. xxxvii. 14: "And shall 
put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live." 

Q,. 21. What is the immediate effect of quickening the 
dead soul, by the Spirit of Christ passively received ? 

A. The immediate effect of it is actual believing: Christ 
being come in by his Spirit, the dead soul is thereby quick- 
ened, and the immediate effect of this is, the embracing 
him by faith, by which the union is completed, John v. 25. 

Q,. 22. What are the nature and properties of this union ? 

A. It is a spiritual, mysterious, real, intimate, and indis- 
soluble union. 

Q,. 23. In what respect is it a spiritual union 1 

A. In as much as the one Spirit of God dwells in the 
head and in the members, Rom. viii. 9. 

Q. 24. Why is it called mystical, or mysterious? Eph. 
v. 32. 

A. Because it is full of mysteries ; Christ in the believer, 
John xvii. 23 ; living in him, Gal. ii. 20 ; walking in him, 2 
Cor. vi. 16; and the believer dwelling in God, 1 John iv. 
16; putting on Christ, Gal. iii. 27: "eating his flesh, and 
drinking his blood," John vi. 56. 

Q,. 25. Why is it called a real union 1 

A. Because believers are as really united to Christ, as 
the members of the natural body are to their head ; " For 
we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones," 
Eph. v. 30. 

Q,. 26. How intimate is this union? 

A. It is so intimate, that believers are said to be one in 
the Father and the Son, as the Father is in Christ, and 



OP UNION WITH CHRIST. 



167 



Christ in the Father, John xvii. 21: " That they all may be 
one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee ; that they 
also may be one in us." 

Q,. 27. Can this union ever be dissolved ? 

A. By no means : " Neither death, nor life, &c, shall be 
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord," Rom. viii. 38, 39. 

Q,. 28. Is it a legal union that is between Christ and 
believers 1 

A. Though not a mere legal union, yet it is a union 
sustained in law, in so far, as that upon the union taking 
place, what Christ did and suffered for them, is reckoned 
in law as if they had done and suffered it themselves: 
hence they are said to be crucified with Christ, Gal. ii. 20 ; 
to be buried with him, Col. ii. 12 ; and to be raised up to- 
gether, Eph. ii. 6. 

Q,. 29. What are the bonds of this union. 

A. The Spirit on Christ's part, 1 John iii. 24, and faith 
on ours, Eph. iii. 7. 

Q,. 30. Is it the Spirit on Christ's part, or faith on ours, 
that unites the sinner to Christ I 

A. They both concur in their order: Christ first ap- 
prehends the sinner by his Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 13; and the 
sinner thus apprehended, apprehends Christ by faith, Phil, 
iii. 12. 

Q. 31. How may persons know if they are apprehended 
of Christ ? 

A. If he has engaged their love and esteem, and dis- 
solved the regard they had to other things that came in 
competition with him, 1 Pet. ii. 7. 

Q. 32. Are the bonds of this union inviolable ? 

A. Yes ; " I give unto them," says Christ, " eternal life, 
and they shall never perish ; neither shall any pluck them 
out of my hand," John x. 28. 

Q,. 33. What makes the Spirit an inviolable bond of 
union ? 

A. Because he never departs from that soul into which 
he enters, but abides there for ever, John xiv. 16. 

Q.. 34. How can faith be an inviolable bond of union, 
when it is subject to failing ? 

A. Although the actings of faith may sometimes fail, yet 
neither the habit nor the exercise ever shall, in time of 
need, and that because of the prevalency of Christ's inter- 
cession, Luke xxii. 32 : "I have prayed for thee, that thy 
faith fail not." 

Q. 35. Are the bodies of the saints united to Christ, at 
the same time that their souls are 1 

A. Yes; their bodies are made "members of Christ, 
and temples of the Holy Ghost which is in them," 1 Cor. 
vi. 15, 19. 



168 



OF EFFECTUAL CALLING, 



Q,. 36. Whether is it sinners or saints, that are united to 
Christ? 

A. In the very moment of the union, sinners are made 
saints, 1 Cor. vi. 11. 

Q. 37. To what is this union compared in scripture ? 

A. To the union between husband and wife, Rom. vii. 
4; head and members, Col. i. 18; root and branches, John 
xv. 5 ; foundation and superstructure, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 6. 

Q,. 38. What are believers entitled to by their union with 
Christ? 

A. To himself, and all the blessings of his purchase, 1 
Cor. iii. 22, 23. 

Q,. 39. When does the Spirit work faith in us, and there- 
by unite us to Christ? 

A. He does it [in our effectual calling,] 1 Cor. i. 9.* 

Q,. 40. What improvement ought both saints and sinners 
to make of the doctrine of union with Christ ? 

A. Saints ought to evidence that Christ is in them, by 
endeavouring that his image shine forth in their conversa- 
tion, studying to " walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleas- 
ing," Col. i. 10 ; and Sinners ought to seek after this happy 
relation to Christ, while he is yet standing at their door 
and knocking, Rev. iii. 20 ; and while the gates of the city 
of refuge are not yet closed, Zech. ix. 12. 



Quest. 31. What is effectual calling ? 

Ans. Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, 
whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlight- 
ening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renew- 
ing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace 
Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. 

Q. 1. Why is effectual calling termed a [work?] 
A. Because it is effected by various operations or work- 
ings of the Spirit of God upon the soul, therefore called 
" the seven Spirits which are before his throne," Rev. i. 4. 
Q,. 2. Why is it called a work of [God's Spirit?] 
A. Because it relates to the application of redemption, 
which is the special work of God's Spirit, John xvi. 14: — 
" He," says Christ of the Spirit, " shall receive of mine, 
and shall show it unto you." 

Q,. 3. How many fold is the divine [calling?] 
A. Twofold: outward, by the word; and inward, by 
the Spirit. 



* Larger Catechism, Q. 66. 



OP EFFECTUAL CALLING. 



169 



Q. 4. What is the outward call by the word ? 

A. It is the free and unlimited invitation given, in the 
dispensation of the gospel, to all the hearers of it, to re- 
ceive Christ, and salvation with him, Isa. lv. 1. Rev. 
xxii. 17. 

Q,. 5. What is the inward call by the Spirit ? 

A. It is the Spirit's accompanying the outward call with 
power and efficacy upon the soul, John vi. 45. 

Q,. 6. Which of these is [effectual] in bringing sinners 
to Christ? 

A. The inward call, by the Spirit : " for it is the Spirit 
that quickeneth," John vi. 63; the outward call, by the 
word, is of itself ineffectual ; " for many are called, but 
few are chosen," Matt. xxii. 14. 

Q,. 7. What is meant by few being chosen 1 

A. That few are determined effectually to embrace the 
call ; and therefore termed a little jlock, Luke xxii. 32. 

Q,. 8. What is the main or leading work of the Spirit in 
effectual calling 1 

A. It is that by which [he doth persuade and enable us to 
embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel,] 
Phil. ii. 13. 

Q,. 9. What is it to [embrace] Christ? 

A. It is, like Simeon, to clasp him in the arms of faith, 
with complacency and delight, Luke ii. 28. 

Q,. 10. Where is it that faith embraces him? 

A. In the promises of the gospel, Heb. xi. 13. 

Gl. 11. What is the [gospel ?] 

A. It is good news, or glad tidings of life and salvation 
to lost sinners of mankind, through a " Saviour, who is 
Christ the Lord," Luke ii. 10, 11. 

Q,. 12. What warrant has faith to embrace him in the 
promise of the gospel ? 

A. His Father's gift, John hi. 16, and his own offer of 
himself in it, Isa. xlv. 22. 

Q,. 13. Can there be an embracing, or receiving, without 
a previous giving ? 

A. "A man can receive" [margin, take unto himself] 
" nothing, except it be given him from heaven," John hi. 27. 

Q,. 14. What is the faith of the gospel offer? 

A. It is a believing that Jesus Christ, with his righteous- 
ness, and all his salvation is, by himself offered to sinners, 
and to each of them in particular, Pro v. viii. 4. John vii. 37. 

Q,. 15. When is the word of the gospel-offer savingly 
believed? 

A. When it is powerfully applied by the Holy Spirit to 
the soul in particular, as the word and voice of Christ him- 
self and not of men, 1 Thess. i. 5, and ii. 13. 

Q,. 16. How can we believe it is the voice of Christ him- 

Part I. — 15 



170 



OF EFFECTUAL CALLING. 



self in the offer, when Christ is now in heaven, and we 
hear no voice from thence? 

A. The voice of Christ in his written word, is more sure 
than a voice from heaven itself, 2 Pet. i. 18, 19; and it is 
this voice of Christ in the word, that is the stated ground 
of faith, Rom. i. 16, 17. 

Q,. 17. How is Christ offered in the gospel? 

A. [Freely,'] as well as fully, Rev. xxii. 17. 

Q,. 18. To whom is he offered ? 

A. [ To us] sinners of mankind, as such, Prov. viii. 4. 
Q,. 19. Have we any natural inclination to embrace the 
gospel-offer ? 

A. No: the Spirit [doth persuade] us to it, 2 Cor. v. 11. 

Q,. 20. Will moral suasion, or arguments taken from the 
promises and threatenings of the word, persuade any to 
embrace Christ 1 

A. No : the enticing' words of man's wisdom will not do ; 
nothing less is sufficient, than the demonstration of the 
Spirit, that so our faith may not " stand in the wisdom of 
men, but in the power of God," 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. 

Q. 21. Have we any ability of our own to believe in 
Christ, or to embrace him 1 

A. No: the Spirit of faith [doth enable us] to do it, 2 
Cor. iv. 13. 

Q,. 22. By what means does the Spirit persuade and 
enable us to embrace Christ I 

A. By [convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening 
our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our 
wills.] 

Q. 23. What is the object of the [convincing] work of 
the Spirit ; or of what does he convince us 1 

A. [Of our si?i and misery,] Acts ii. 37. 

Q,. 24. Of what [sin] does the Spirit convince us 1 

A. Both of original and actual sin, Mark vii. 21, partic- 
ularly of unbelief, John xvi. 9. 

Q,. 25. Of what [misery] does he convince us? 

A. Of the misery of losing communion with God, 2 Cor. 
vi. 14, 15 ; and being under his wrath and curse, in time, 
and through eternity, Isa. xxxiii. 14. 

Q,. 26. How does the Spirit convince us of sin and 
misery 7 

A. By the law, Rom. iii. 20 : "By the law is the know- 
ledge of sin." 

Qt. 27. What knowledge of sin have we by the law 1 

A. By the precept of the law, we have the knowledge of 
the evil nature of sin, Rom. vii. 7, and by the threatening, 
the knowledge of the guilt and desert of it, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 28. In what capacity does the Spirit convince us of 
sin by the law 7 

A. As a spirit of bondage working fear, Rom. viii. 15. 



OF EFFECTUAL CALLING. 



171 



Q,. 29. Have all had an equal measure of this kind of 
conviction, who have been persuaded to embrace Christ ? 

A. No ; some have had more, and some less, as in the 
instances of Paul and Lydia, Acts ix. 6, 9, compared with 
chap. xvi. 14. 

Q,. 30. What measure of conviction by the law, is requi- 
site for such as are come to full ripeness of age ? 

A. Such a measure as to let them see, that they are sin- 
ners by nature, both in heart and life ; that they are lost 
and undone under the curse of the law, and wrath of 
God ; and that they are utterly incapable of recovering 
themselves, as being legally and spiritually dead, Rom. 
vii. 9. 

Q. 31. Why is such a measure as this, of legal convic- 
tion, requisite in the adult 1 

A. Because, otherwise, they would never see the need 
they stand in of Christ as a Saviour, either from sin 
or wrath, Matt. ix. 12, 13. 

Q,. 32. Is this measure of conviction necessary as a 
condition of our welcome to Christ, or as a qualification 
fitting us to believe on him } 

A. No; but merely as a motive, to excite us to make 
use of our privilege of free access to him, Hos. xiv. 1 : " O 
Israel, return unto the Lord thy God ; for thou hast fallen 
by thine iniquity." 

Q. 33. Have not some been under deep legal convic- 
tions, and yet never effectually called ] 

A. Yes ; Judas went to hell under a load of this kind of 
conviction, Matt, xxvii. 3 — 5. 

Q. 34. Is not the [enlightening our minds in th e knowledge 
of Christ,] a mean of persuading and enabling us to em- 
brace him 1 

A. Yes; for, "how can they believe in him of whom 
they have not heard ?" Rom. x. 14. 

Q,. 35. What is the subject of the Spirit's [enlightening ?] 

A. [Our minds] or understandings, which are the eyes 
of the soul, Eph. i. 18 : " The eyes of your understanding 
being enlightened," &c. 

Q,. 36. What is the object of this enlightening, or in what 
are we enlightened ? 

A. It is [in the knowledge of Christ,] Phil. iii. 8. 

Q,. 37. Who is the author of saving illumination in the 
knowledge of Christ 1 

A. The Holy Spirit, who is therefore called, " the Spirit 
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," Eph. 
i. 17. 

Q,. 38. In what condition is the mind, before it is enlight- 
ened by the Spirit ? 

A. In gross darkness and ignorance, as to the " things 
of the Spirit of God," 1 Cor. ii. 14. Eph. v. 8. 



172 



OF EFFECTUAL CALLING. 



Q. 39. What is it in Christ that the Spirit enlightens the 
mind in the knowledge of? 

A. In the knowledge of his person, righteousness, offi- 
ces, fulness, &c. John xy. 26, says Christ of the Spirit, 
" He shall testify of me." 

Q,. 40. What are the distinguishing properties of saving 
illumination 1 

A. It is of an humbling, Job. xlii. 5, 6, sanctifying, John 
xvii. 17, transforming, 2 Cor. hi. 18, and growing nature, 
Hos. vi. 3. 

Q,. 41. What is the necessity of this illumination, in 
order to the embracing of Christ ! 

A. Because, without it, there can be no discerning of 
his matchless excellency, inexhaustible sufficiency, and 
universal suitableness, the saving knowledge of which is 
necessary to the comfortable embracing of him, Ps. ix. 
10 : 44 They that know thy name, will put their trust in 
thee." 

Q,. 42. By what means does the Spirit enlighten the 
mind in the knowledge of Christ 1 

A. By means of the gospel, Rom. x. 17. 

Q,. 43. Does not the [renewing our wills] accompany the 
illumination of our minds ] 

A. Yes; when "the Lord shall send the rod of his 
strength out of Zion," there shall be a 44 willing people in 
the day of his power," Ps. ex. 2, 3. 

Q,. 44. In what consists the renovation of the will ? 

A. In working in it a new inclination or propensity to 
good, and a fixed aversion to whatever is evil, Ezek. 
xxxvi. 26. 

Q,. 45. Does the Spirit, in the renovation of the will, use 
any violence or compulsion ? 

A. No ; he makes us willing in the day of his power, 
Ps. ex. 3. 

Q,. 46. What is the natural disposition of the will before 
it is renewed % 

A. It is wicked and rebellious, full of enmity against 
Christ, and the way of salvation through him, John v. 40. 

Q,. 47. Can any man change, or renew, his own will! 

A. No more than the 44 Ethiopian can change his skin, 
or the leopard his spots," Jer. xiii. 23. 

Q,. 48. What necessity is there for renewing the will, in 
order to the embracing of Christ 1 

A. Because till this be done, the natural ill will that is in 
sinners against Christ, in all his offices, will be retained, 2 
Cor. v. 17. 

Q,. 49. In what appears the ill will which sinners bear to 
Christ as a Prophet . ? 

A. In the conceit of their own wisdom, Prov. i. 22, and 
slighting the means of instruction, chap. xxvi. 12. 



OF BENEFITS IN THIS LIFE. 



173 



Q,. 50. How do they manifest their aversion to him as a 
Priest ? 

A. " In going about to establish their own righteous- 
ness, and refusing to submit themselves unto the right- 
eousness of God," Rom. x. 3. 

Q,. 51. How do they manifest their opposition to him as 
a King ? 

A. In their hatred of holiness, love to sin, and saying, 
in fact, concerning him, " We will not have this man to 
reign over us," Luke xix. 14. 

Q,. 52. Who are the only persons that are effectually 
called ? 

A. All the elect, and they only, Acts xiii. 48 : " As many 
as were ordained to eternal life, believed." * 

Q,. 53. What may we learn from the doctrine of effectual 
calling 1 

A. That " the gifts and calling of God are without re- 
pentance," Rom. xi. 29 ; that " all things work together for 
good — to them that are the called according to his pur- 
pose," Rom. viii. 28 ; and that it is our duty to " walk 
worthy of God, who hath called us unto his kingdom and 
glory," 1 Thess. ii. 12. 



Quest. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually 
called partake of in this life ? 

Ans. They that are effectually called, do, in this life, 
partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the 
several benefits which, in this life, do either accompany or 
flow from them. 

Q,. 1. " What special [benefits] do the members of the 
invisible church (or such as are effectually called,) enjoy 
by Christ V 

A. They "enjoy union and communion with him, in 
grace and glory, Eph. ii. 5, 6." t 

Q,. 2. " What is the communion in grace, which the 
members of the invisible church have with Christ V 

A. It " is their partaking of the virtue of his mediation, 
in their justification, adoption, sanctification, and what- 
ever else in this life manifests their union with him, 1 Cor. 
i. 30." X 

Q,. 3. How are all these benefits connected with effectual 
calling ! 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 68. t Ibid, Quest. 65. t Ibid, Quest. 69. 
15* 



174 



OF BENEFITS IN THIS LIFE. 



A. By a connexion established in the eternal purpose 
and counsel of God, in which all these blessings or bene- 
fits are sweetly linked together, Rom. viii. 30 : " Whom 
he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he 
called, them he also justified ; and whom he justified, them 
he also glorified." 

Q,. 4. What is the connexion between effectual calling 
and justification ? 

A. In effectual calling, shiners, being united to Christ 
by faith, have thereby communion with him in his right- 
eousness, for justification, Phil. iii. 9. 

Q,. 5. How is adoption connected with effectual calling ] 

A. In virtue of the union which takes place in effectual 
calling, believers stand related to Christ, as having a new 
kind of interest in God as his Father ; and consequently 
their Father in him, according to John xx. 17: "I ascend 
to my Father, and your Father ;* and Eph. i. 3 : " Blessed 
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Q,. 6. What is the blessed effect of this new kind of inte- 
rest, which Christ, as the head of the body, has in God as 
his Father 3 

A. That, by the Spirit of adoption, we may call God our 
Father, in the right of Jesus Christ, our elder brother, 
Rom. viii. 15: " Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, Abba, Father." 

Q. 7. How is effectual calling connected with sanctifica* 
Hon t 

A. In virtue of the union, which takes place in effectual 
calling, believers are related to Christ as the Lord their 
strength, their quickening, and influencing head, " who of 
God is made unto them — sanctification," 1 Cor. i. 30. 

Q,. 8. What is the connexion between effectual calling 
and a blessed death ? 

A. In effectual calling, believers are united to Christ, by 
a union that cannot be dissolved by death, Rom. viii. 
38, 39. 

Q,. 9. What is the connexion between effectual calling 
and a happy resurrection 1 

A. In effectual calling, sinners are united to Christ, as a 
living and exalted head, and therefore their happy resur- 
rection is absolutely secured in him, because he is " risen 
from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that 
slept," 1 Cor. xv. 20. 

Q,. 10. What improvement should we make of the sweet 
connexion that is between all these benefits of which the 
effectually called are partakers 1 

A. We ought, through grace, in the use of all the means 
and ordinances of God's appointment, to give all diligence 
to make our calling and election sure ; that having the 
knowledge of our justification, and adoption, by our sane- 



OF JUSTIFICATION. 



175 



tification, we may have the comfortable prospect of a 
happy death, and glorious resurrection, 2 Pet. i. JO, 11. 



Quest. 33. What is justification 1 

Ans. Justification is an act of God's free grace ; where- 
in he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in 
his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to 
us, and received by faith alone. 

Q,. 1. From whence is the word [justification] bor- 
rowed 1 ? 

A. Being a law-word, it is borrowed from courts of jus- 
tice among men, when a person arraigned is pronounced 
righteous, and, in court, openly absolved ? 

Q,. 2. How does it appear, that justification denotes an 
act of jurisdiction, and not an inward change upon the 
soul? 

A. From its being opposed to conde^nnalion, which all 
own to consist, not in the infusing of wickedness into a 
person, but in passing sentence upon him, according to 
the demerit of his crime, Ps. cix. 7. 
Q,. 3. What is it, then, to justify a person 1 
A. It is not to make him righteous, but to declare him to 
be so, upon a legal ground, and trial of a judge, Isa. xliii. 
9, 26. 

Q,. 4. Who is the auth or or efficient cause, of our justifi- 
cation ? 

A. It is God himself ; for, it is God that justifieth, Rom. 
viii. 33. 

Q,. 5. Is it God essentially, or personally considered 1 ? 

A. God essentially considered, in the person of the Fa- 
ther, is the justijier, in respect of judiciary power and au- 
thority, Rom. iii. 26 ; and our Lord Jesus Christ, in respect 
of the dispensation, or exercise of that power, Acts v. 31. 

Q,. 6. In what respect is the Spirit said to justify ? 1 Cor. 
vi. 11. 

A. As the applier of the blood or righteousness of Christ, 
by which we are justified, Tit. iii. 5. 

Q,. 7. In what state is a sinner before justification I 

A. In a state of sin and guilt, Rom. iii. 9, and, conse- 
quently, in a state of wrath and condemnation, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 8. How can God justify the ungodly ? 

A. Every elect sinner, however ungodly in himself, yet, 
upon union with Christ, has communion with him in his 
righteousness, and on this account he is justified, Isa. xlv. 
25 : " In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified." 



176 



OF JUSTIFICATION. 



Q,. 9. Why have elect sinners communion with Christ 
in his righteousness, upon their union with him I 

A. Because their sins having been imputed to him from 
eternity, he became legally one with them, transferring 
their debt to himself, and undertaking to pay the same, 
Isa. liii. 6 ; wherefore, upon union with him by faith, his 
perfect satisfaction is imputed to them, as if they had made 
it themselves, 2 Cor. v. 21. 

Q,. 10. Why is justification called an [act ?] 

A. Because, like the sentence of a judge, it is completed 
at once, and not carried on gradually like a work of time, 
Deut. xxv. 1. 

Q,. 11. What is the moving cause of justification, or what 
kind of an act is it 1 

A. It is [an act of God's free grace,] Rom. iii. 24 : " Be- 
ing justified freely by his grace through the redemption 
that is in Christ Jesus." 

Q,. 12. How can free grace be the moving cause of our 
justification, when it is " through the redemption that is 
in Christ Jesus V* 

A. Because the redemption that is in Christ, is the 
channel through which justifying grace runs freely to us, 
Eph. i. 7. 

13. What are the constituent parts of justification 1 
A. They are two ; that [in which he pardons all our 
sins,] Rom. vi. 7; and that, in which he [accepts us as 
righteous in his sight,] Eph. i. 6. 
Q,. 14. What is the pardon of sin] 
A. It is God's absolving the sinner from the condemna- 
tion of the law, on account of Christ's satisfaction for sin, 
Rom. viii. 1. 

Q. 15. Why is the pardon of sin set before the accepting 
us as righteous, in the answer ? 

A. Because, till the sentence of the broken law be dis- 
solved by pardon, it is impossible that our persons can be 
accepted, or any blessing of the covenant conferred upon 
us. See Heb. viii. 10 — 13; where, after a great many 
other promised blessings, it is added, ver. 12 : " For I will 
be merciful to their unrighteousness," &c., intimating 
that the pardon of sin led the way to other covenant 
blessings. 

Q,. 16. What is it in sin that pardon removes'? 

A. The guilt of it, which is a person's actual obligation 
or liability to eternal wrath, on account thereof, Eph. 
ii. 3. 

Q,. 17. Can the guilt of sin ever recur upon a pardoned 
person 1 

A. No : the obligation to punishment, being once taken 
off, can never recur again ; because " there is no condem- 
nation to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1. 



OF JUSTIFICATION. 



177 



Q,. 18. Will future sins revoke a former pardon? 

A. No: future sins may provoke the Lord to with- 
draw the sense of former pardon, but can never revoke the 
pardon itself; because " The gifts and calling of God are 
without repentance," Rom. xi. 29. 

Q. 19. What si7is are pardoned in justification'? 

A. [All our sins] whatsoever, Ps. ciii. 3 : " Who forgiveth 
a.ll thine iniquities." 

Q,. 20. How are sins past and present pardoned] 

A. By a formal remission of them, Ps. xxxii. 5 : " Thou 
forgavest the iniquity of my sin." 

Q,. 21. How are sins to come, pardoned] 

A. By securing the non-imputation of them, as to the 
guilt of eternal wrath, Rom. iv. 8 : " Blessed is the man to 
whom the Lord will not impute sin." 

Q. 22. If the non-imputation of eternal wrath, as to fu- 
ture sins, be secured, why do the saints pray for the par- 
don of them when committed 7 

A. Because the guilt or liability to fatherly anger is 
contracted by the commission of them ; and, therefore, 
they pray for the removal of that guilt, Ps. li. 12: "Re- 
store unto me the joy of thy salvation." 

Q,. 23. Is repentance a condition of pardon 7 

A. No ; because this would bring in works into the mat- 
ter of our justification before God, quite contrary to scrip- 
ture, which tells us, that " a man is not justified by the 
works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ," Gal. 
ii. 16. 

Q,. 24. How do you prove, that repentance has not the 
same interest as faith, in our justification 1 

A. From this, that in scripture we are frequently said 
to be justified by faith, but never said to be justified by 
repentance. 

Q,. 25. Is it not affirmed in our Confession, " that repent- 
ance is of such necessity to all sinners, that none may 
expect pardon without it T* 

A. The meaning is, that repentance is such an insepa- 
rable concomitant of pardon, that no pardoned person con- 
tinues to be impenitent, 2 Sam. xii. 13. Matt. xxvi. 75. 

Q,. 26. If none can expect pardon, without expecting re- 
pentance along with it ; will it not therefore follow, that 
repentance is a condition of pardon? 

A. Not at all ; for if repentance cannot so much as have 
the least instrumentality in pardon, it can never be the 
condition of it, nor have the smallest influence in caus- 
ing it.f 

* Confession, chap. xv. $ 3. 

t Confession chap. xv. $ 3 : " Repentance" is " not to be rested in, as 
any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the pardon thereof." 



178 



OF JUSTIFICATION. 



Q. 27. How does it appear that repentance has not the 
least instrumentality in pardon I 

A. It appears evidently from this, that faith is the sole 
instrument of receiving Christ and his righteousness ; 
without receiving of which there can be no pardon, John 
viii. 24 : " If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in 
your sins." 

Q,. 28. Does God do any more in justification than freely 
pardon all our sins ! 

A. Yes ; he likewise [accepts us as righteous in his 
sight,] Eph. i. 6. 

Q,. 29. Why is the accepting us as righteous joined with 
pardon, in justification ! 

A. Because, though among men a criminal may be par- 
doned, and neither declared righteous nor received into 
favour, yet it is not so with God; for whom he forgives, 
he both accounts their persons righteous in his sight, and 
receives them into perpetual favour, Rom. v. 8 — 10. 

Q. 30. How can a holy and righteous God, whose judg- 
ment is according to truths accept sinners as righteous 
without a perfect righteousness) 

A. He accepts them as righteous [only for the righteous- 
ness of Christ,] which is perfect, and becomes truly theirs 
through faith, Jer. xxiii. 6. Isa. xlv. 24. 

Q,. 31. By what right does the surety righteousness be- 
come theirs ? 

A. By the right of a free gift received, and the right of 
communion with Christ. 
Q,. 32. How does it become theirs by the right of a gift 

received 7 

A. In as much as Christ's righteousness being made 
over in the gospel, as God's gift to sinners, it is by faith 
actually claimed and received; hence called the gift of 
righteousness ■, Rom. v. 17. 

Q,. 33. How does Christ's surety righteousness become 
theirs by right of communion ivilh him ? 

A. In as much as sinners being united to him by faith, 
have thus communion or a common interest with him in 
his righteousness, Phil. hi. 9. 

Q,. 34. When is it, then, that, according to truth, God 
accepts us as righteous in his sight 7 

A. When Christ's surety righteousness is actually 
reckoned ours, and we made the righteousness of God in 
him, 2 Cor. v. 21 : upon this account precisely, and no 
other, are we accepted of God as righteous; the right- 
eousness of GOD being upon all them that believe, Rom. 
iii. 22. 

Q,. 35. What is the matter of our justification, or that for 
which we are justified 7 



OF JUSTIFICATION. 



179 



A, The righteousness of Christ only ; hence he is called, 
" The Lord our Righteousness," Jer. xxiii. 6. 

Q,. 36. In what does [the righteousness of Christ] consist! 

A. In the holiness of his human nature, his righteous life, 
and satisfactory death* 

Q. 37. Can law or justice reach the person who is under 
the covering of the surety righteousness ! 

A. By no means ; for " Who shall lay any thing to the 
charge of God's elect ? — It is Christ that died, yea, rather, 
that is risen again," Rom. viii. 33, 34. 

Q,. 38. Is the righteousness of Christ meritorious of our 
justification 1 

A. Yes ; because of the infinite dignity of his person ; 
for, though he " took upon him the form of a servant, yet, 
being in the form of God, he thought it no robbery to be 
equal with God," Phil ii. 6, 7. 

Q,. 39. How is the righteousness of Christ commonly 
divided 1 

A. Into his active and passive obedience. 

Q. 40. What is his active obedience 1 

A. The holiness of his nature and righteousness of his 
life, in full and perfect conformity to the whole law, with- 
out the least failure, either of parts, or degrees of obedi- 
ence to the end, Matt. v. 17, 18. 

Q,. 41. What is his passive obedience! 

A. His satisfaction for sin, by enduring the infinite 
execution of the curse, upon him in his death, Gal. hi. 13, 
to the full compensation of all the injuries done to the 
honour of an infinite God, by all the sins of an elect world, 
Eph. v. 2. 

Q,. 42. Why does his satisfactory death, as well as his 
righteous life, get the name of obedience ? Phil. ii. 8. 

A. Because his sufferings and death were entirely vol- 
untary, and in most profound submission to the command- 
ment which he had received of his Father, John x. 18. 

Q,. 43. What is the formal cause of our justification, or 
that by which Christ's righteousness is made ours ! 

A. It is its being [imputed to us,] Rom. iv. 6. 

Q. 44. What is it to impute Christ's righteousness to us ? 

A. It is God's accounting- or reckoning it to us, as if we 
had obeyed the law, and satisfied justice in our own per- 
sons, and dealing with us accordingly, Rom. viii. 4. 2 Cor. 
v. 21. 

Q,. 45. Upon what ground or foundation is Christ's 
righteousness imputed to us 1 

A. Upon the ground of his representing us from 
eternity, and our union with him in time, Isa. liii 5. 

* See these explained on Quest. 20, entitled, Of the Covenant of Grace. 



180 



OF JUSTIFICATION 



Q,. 46. What necessity is there for the imputation of 
Christ's passive obedience ! 

A. Because without the imputation of it, we could have 
no legal security from eternal death, Rom. v. 9. 

Q,. 47. What necessity is there for the imputation of 
Christ's actio e obedience ? 

A. Because without the imputation of it, we could have 
no legal title to eternal life, Rom. vi. 23. 

Q,. 43. If Christ, as man, gave obedience to the law for 
himself, how can his active obedience be imputed to us 1 

A. Though the human nature, abstractly considered, be 
a creature, yet never subsisting by itself, but in the person 
of the Son of God, the acts of obedience performed in it 
were never the acts of a mere man, but of him who is 
God-man, Mediator ; and, consequently, acts of obedience, 
not for himself, but for us, Gal. iv. 4, 5. 

Q,. 49. If Christ's active obedience be imputed to us, are 
we not released from any obligation to yield obedience to 
the law in our own persons ? 

A. We are only released from an obligation to yield 
obedience to the law as a covenant of works, not releas- 
ed from obedience to it as a rule of life, Gal. ii. 19. 

Q,. 50. Is the righteousness of Christ, itself, imputed to 
us, or only Us effects ? 

A. As the guilt itself of Adam's first sin is imputed to 
all his posterity, by which judgment comes upon all men to 
condemnation, so, the righteousness of Christ itself is 
imputed to all his spiritual seed, by which the free gift 
comes upon them all unto justification of life, Rom. 
v. 18. 

Q,. 51. What is the difference between the imputation 
of our sins to Christ, and the imputation of his righteous- 
ness to us 7 

A. Our sins were imputed to Christ as our Surety, only 
for a time, that he might take them away ; but his right- 
eousness is imputed to us to abide with us for ever ; hence 
called an everlasting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24. 

Q. 52. Why are we said to be pardoned and accepted 
[only] for the righteousness of Christ 1 

A. Because a sinner can have no other plea before God, 
for pardon and acceptance, but Christ's fulfilling all 
righteousness, as the only condition of the covenant, Isa. 
xlv. 24. 

Q,. 53. What is the instrumental cause of our justifi- 
cation ? 

A. It is Uoofold ; namely, external and internal. 

Q,. 54. What is the external instrumental cause ? 

A. The Gospel ; because the righteousness of God is 
revealed in it, and brought near to us as a free gift, Rom. 
i. 17, v. 17, and x. 8. 



OF JUSTIFICATION. 



181 



Q,. 55. What is the internal instrumental cause of our 
justification ? 
A. It is [Faith,] Rom. x. 10. 

Q,. 56. Why is faith the instrument of our justification ? 

A. To show that our justification is wholly of grace ; it 
being the nature of faith to take the gift of righteousness 
freely, without money, and without price ; "therefore it is 
of faith, that it might be by grace," Rom. iv. 16. 

Q,. 57. What, then, is the instrumentality of faith in our 
justification } 

A. It is merely the hand that receives and applies the 
righteousness of Christ, by which we are justified." 

Q,. 58. Is the grace of faith or any act of it, imputed to 
a sinner for justification 1 

A. No ; for, " To him that worketh not, but belie veth 
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for 
righteousness," Rom. iv T . 5. 

Q,. 59. What is the difference between saving faith, and 
justifying faith 7 

A. Saving faith receives and rests upon Christ in all his 
offices, as " of God made unto us wisdom, and righteous- 
ness, and sanctifi cation, and redemption ;" but justifying 
faith receives and rests upon him, more particularly, in 
his priestly office, for pardon and acceptance, on account 
of his meritorious righteousness, Phil. iii. 9 : " And be found 
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of 
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, 
the righteousness which is of God by faith." 

Q,. 60. Why is the righteousness of Christ said to be re- 
ceived by faith [alone?] 

A. That vjorks may be wholly excluded from having any 
share in our justification, less or more, Rom. iii. 28 : " There- 
fore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without 
the deeds of the law." 

Q,. 61. If good works have no influence upon our justi- 
fication, of what use are they to the justified? 

A. Though they cannot justify us before God, yet they 
are good " evidences" of our justification, being the fruits 
of a true ^nd lively faith, James ii. 18: they "adorn the 
profession of the gospel, Tit. ii. 11, 12; stop the mouths of 
adversaries, 1 Pet. ii. 15; and glorify God, John xv. 8."t 

Q,. 62. If faith's receiving of Christ's righteousness justify 
us, does not faith justify as a work? 

* Larger Catechism, Question 73 : " Faith justifies a sinner in the sight 
of God, not because of those other graces which do always accompany 
it, or of good works that are the fruits of it, Gal. iii. 11; nor as if the grace 
of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification, 
Rom. iv. 5 ; but only as it is an instrument, by which he receiveth and ap- 
plieth Christ and his righteousness, John i. 12 " 

t Conf. chap xvi. $ 2. 
♦ Part I. — 16 



182 



OF ADOPTION. 



A. It is not properly the receiving-, or any other act of 
faith, that justifies us, but the righteousness of Christ re- 
ceived, Rom. hi. 22 ; even as it is not the hand that nour- 
ishes us, but the food which we take by it. 

Q,. 63. If we are justified by faith alone, why is it said, 
James ii. 24, " That by works a man is justified, and not 
by faith only V 9 

A. This is to be understood of justifying, or evidencing 
the reality of our faith before men, and not of justifying our 
persons before God. 

Q,. 64. When is it that God justifies the ungodly 1 

A. " Though from eternity God decreed to justify all the 
elect," yet "they are not" actually "justified, until the 
Holy Spirit does, in due time, apply Christ," and his right- 
eousness " unto them, Tit. iii. 5 — 7." * 

Q,. 65. How were believers, under the Old Testament, 
justified 1 

A. "Their justification was, in all respects, the same 
with the justification of believers, under the New Testa- 
ment, Gal. iii. 9. Heb. xiii. 8." f 

Q,. 66. What may we learn from this important doctrine 
of justification 1 

A. That all ground of pride and boasting is taken away 
from the creature, Rom. iii. 27: that faith itself, by laying 
hold upon the surety righteousness without us, is nothing 
else than a solemn declaration of our poverty and naked- 
ness ; and that, therefore, it is our duty to glory only in 
Christ Jesus, saying, " Surely — in the Lord have we 
righteousness and strength," Isa. xlv. 24. 



Quest. 34. What is adoption ? 

Ans. Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby 
we are received into the number, and have a right to all 
the privileges of the sons of God. 

Q,. 1. What does the word [adoption] signify among 

men'? 

A. It signifies the taking of a stranger into a family, and 
dealing with him, as if he were a child or heir. 

Q,. 2. What is the difference between adoption, as it is 
an act of God, and as it is a deed of men ? 

A. Men generally adopt only one into their family, and 
they do it on account of some amiable properties, or qua- 
lifications, discerned in the adopted ; but God adopts many 



* Conf. chap. xi. $ 4. 



t Ibid. $ 6. 



OF ADOPTION. 



183 



into his family, and that, not upon account of any thing 
commendable in them, but merely out of his own free and 
unmerited love, Eph. i. 5. 

Q,. 3. Of how many kinds of adoption do the scrip- 
tures speak] * 

A. Two kinds ; namely, general and special. 

Q,. 4. What is meant by general adoption 1 

A. It is the erecting of a certain indefinite number of 
mankind into a visible church, and entitling them to all the 
privileges of it, Rom. ix. 4. 

Q. 57 What is the outward seal, or badge, of this gene- 
ral adoption ! 

A. It is baptism ; which comes in the room of circumcis- 
ion under the Old Testament, Eph. iv. 5. 

Q. 6. What is to be understood by special adoption! 

A. It is a sovereign and free translation of a sinner of 
mankind, from the family of hell, or Satan, into the fam- 
ily of heaven, or household of God, Eph. ii. 19; with an 
investiture into all the privileges of the sons of God, 1 
John hi. 1. 

Q,. 7. By whose act and authority is this translation ac- 
complished 1 

A. By the act and authority of God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost. 

Q. 8. What is the act of the Father in this matter ! 

A. He has " predestinated us unto the adoption of chil- 
dren to himself, according to the good pleasure of his 
will," Eph. i. 5. 

Q. 9. What is the act of the Son in this special adoption 1 

A. In consequence of his purchasing the sinner by the 
price of his blood, he actually gives the power, right, or 
privilege, to become a child of God, in the day of believ- 
ing, John i. 12. 

Q. 10. What is the act of the Holy Ghost ? 

A. He comes in Christ's name, takes possession of the 
person, and dwells in him, as a Spirit of adoption, teach- 
ing him to cry, Abba, Father, Rom. viii. 15. 

Q,. 11. Why is this translation into the family of God, 
called [an act ?] 

A. Because it is done at once, Jer. iii. 19. 

Q,. 12. Why called an act of [God's free grace?] 

A. Because the adoption of any of mankind into the 
household of God, flows entirely from his own free love 
and favour, Eph. i. 5, they being, all of them, wretched, 
miserable, poor, blind, and naked, Rev. iii. 17. 

Q,. 13. What is the difference between good angels being 
called the sons of God, Job xxxviii. 7, and believers being 
so called! 1 John iii. 1. 

A. Good angels are called the sons of God, because they 
were created immediately by him; but believers are so 



184 



OF ADOPTION. 



called, because they are adopted by him into his family, 
Rom. viii. 15. 

Q. 14. Why are we said, in adoption, to be [received into 
the number of the sons of God ?] 

A. Because the family of God, from among men, con- 
sists of a certain definite number of mankind, which can 
neither be augmented nor diminished, John xvii. 2, 9, 12, 
and vi. 39. 

Q. 15. By what means or instrument does God receive 
any of mankind into his family * 

A. By the means and instrumentality of faith, Gal. iii. 
26 : " Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus." 

Q,. 16. What connexion is there between faith in Christ 
Jesus, and our being the children of God ? 

A. Faith unites us to Christ, and acquiesces in the re- 
demption purchased by him, as the meritorious cause of 
our adoption, Gal. iv. 4, 5 : " God sent forth his Son — to 
redeem them that were under the law, that we might re- 
ceive the adoption of sons." 

Q,. 17. Since adoption is an act of translation, from the 
family of Satan to the family of God, to whom is it inti- 
mated ! 

A. To the angels in heaven; and sometimes to the 
adopted themselves* 

Q. 18. How is it intimated to the angels in heaven? 

A. It is probable that it is intimated to them by immedi- 
ate revelation, Lukexv. 10: " There is joy in the presence 
of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth." 

Q,. 19. How is it intimated to the adopted themselves ? 

A. By the " Spirit itself bearing witness with their spirit 
that they are the children of God," Rom. viii. 16. 

Q,. 20. Is there any intimation of this made to Satan ? . 

A. No ; but he cannot miss to know, when he is spoiled 
of his goods, and the lawful captive delivered, Mark ix. 26. 

Q,. 21. When sinners of mankind are adopted, and en- 
rolled into the family of heaven, is their name changed 1 

A. Yes : as the wife's name is sunk into her husband's, 
so the former name of the adopted is sunk into Christ's 
new name, Rev. iii. 12: "I will write upon him my new 
name." 

Q,. 22. What was the former, and what is the present 
name of the adopted children of God ! 

A. Their former name was, " strangers and foreigners ;" 
their present name is, " fellow citizens with the saints, and 
of the household of God," Eph. ii. 19 ; their former name 
was, guilty and condemned ; their present name is, " the 
Lord our righteousness," Jer.xxxiii. 16; their former name 
denoted, that they " were without Christ, having no hope, 
and without God in the world," Eph. ii. 12 ; their present 



OF ADOPTION. 



185 



name is Jehovah Shamma, The Lord is there, Ezek. 
xlviii. 35. 

Q,. 23. Why is Christ's name, put upon them, called his 

new name ? 

A. Because it is a name that shall never wax old, or 
vanish away, Heb. viii. 13. 

Q,. 24. Whence come they by this new name ] 

A. When Christ gives them the white stone of pardon 
he, at the same time, gives them, in that stone, the new 
name of being the sons of God; which name "no man 
knoweth, saving he that receiveth it," Rev. ii. 17. 

Q,. 25. What are the [privileges'] with which the sons 
of God are invested 1 

A. Among others, they are invested with great dignity, 
glorious liberty, a title to the whole inheritance, boldness 
of access to God as a father, and his fatherly chastisement, 
or correction.* 

Q,. 26. What is the great dignity or honour to which 
they are advanced 1 

A. To the dignity of being "kings and priests unto 
God," Rev. i. 6, or " a royal priesthood," 1 Pet. ii. 9 ; to 
feast on Christ their passover sacrificed for them, 1 Cor. 
v. 7. 

Q,. 27. In what consists " the glorious liberty of the 
children of God," mentioned, Romrviii. 21? 

A. Not only in a freedom from the guilt and dominion 
of sin, the curse of the law, the tyranny of Satan, and sting 
of death, John viii. 36 ; but in a filial, and reverential obe- 
dience, flowing from a principle of faith and love inlaid in 
the soul, Gal. v. 6. 

Q. 28. Upon what is their title to the inheritance 
founded 1 

A. Upon their being Christ's — " and heirs according to 
the promise," Gal. iii. 29. 

Q,. 29. What is the inheritance which the adopted child- 
ren of God are heirs of" according to the promise]" 

A. They are "heirs of the righteousness which is by 
faith," Heb. xi. 7; " heirs of the grace of life," 1 Pet. iii. 7; 
" heirs of salvation," Heb. i. 14 ; and, which comprehends 
all, they are " heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ," 
Rom. viii. 17. 

Q,. 30. What does their boldness of access to God, as 
their Father, include in it ? 

A. A firm persuasion of the power, love, and faithful- 
ness of a promising God, Rom. iv. 20, 21, and an assured 
expectation of relief from him : "And this is the confidence 
that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according 
to his will, he heareth us," 1 John v. 14. 



* Confession of Faith, chap. xii. 
16* 



186 



OF SANCTIFICATION. 



Q,. 31. What are the grounds of this boldness? 

A. The righteousness of Christ apprehended by faith, 
Ps. lxxxiv. 9, and his prevalent intercession within the 
veil, 1 John ii. L 

Qt. 32. Why is it that God chastises his adopted children ] 

A. Because he loves them, Heb. xii. 6 : " Whom the 
Lord loveth, he chasteneth." 

Q. 33. With what does he chastise them? 

A. Sometimes with the rod of outward affliction, of va- 
rious kinds, Ps. xxxiv. 19; and sometimes with the rod of 
desertion, Ps. xxx. 7. 

34. For what end does he thus chastise them? 

A. For their profit, that they may be "partakers of his 
holiness," Heb. xii. 10. 

Q,. 35. How ought the children to behave under the 
chastisement of their Father ? 

A. They ought neither to " despise the chastening of the 
Lord, nor faint when they are rebuked of him," Heb. xii. 5. 

Q,. 36. What are the marks or evidences of the adopted 
children of God ] 

A. They will resemble their Father, 1 John hi. 2 ; they 
know their Father's voice, John x. 4 ; delight in their 
Father's company, Rom. viii. 15; are deeply concerned 
for his absence, Job xxxiii. 3 ; and out of love to him that 
begat, they have great love to all them that are begotten of 
him, 1 John v. 1. 



Quest. 35. "What is sanctification ? 

Ans. Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, 
whereby we are renewed in the whole man, after the 
image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto 
sin, and live unto righteousness. 

Q. 1. What is it for one to be sanctified 1 

A. It is to be made a saint, or a holy person set apart 
for a holy use, 1 Thess. v. 23. 

Q,. 2. Can any sinner sanctify himself? 

A. No : we can defile, but cannot purify ourselves, Job 
xiv. 4. 

Q,. 3. Whose work is it to sanctify ] 
A. It is the special work of the Spirit of God, 2 Thess. 
ii. 13. 

Q,. 4. Do any of mankind sinners deserve that God should 
sanctify them 7 

A. No : there are none of them that can deserve any 
thing from God, but to be left to perish eternally in their 



OF SANCTIFICATION. 



187 



sin and pollution, because "they are altogether become 
filthy ; there is none of them that doeth good, no not one," 
Ps. xiv. 3. 

Q,. 5. What moves God to sanctify a sinner 1 

A. His own free grace and good pleasure, Phil. ii. 13. 

Q,. 6. Are not justification, adoption, and sanctification, 
inseparably linked together 1 

A. Yes ; they that are justified, are adopted ; and they 
that are justified and adopted, are sanctified and glorified, 
Rom. viii. 30. 

Q,. 7. In what respects are justification and sanctifica- 
tion inseparably joined and linked together ? 

A. In the decree of God, Rom. viii. 30 ; in the promise 
of God, Ps. ex. 3; in the end of Christ's death, Tit. ii. 14 ; 
in the offices of Christ, 1 Cor. i. 30 ; in the gospel-call and 
offer, 2 Tim. i. 9 ; 1 Thess. iv. 7 ; and in the experience of 
all believers, Phil. iii. 8, 12. 

Q. 8. Though inseparably linked together, are they not 
carefully to be distinguished ? 

A. Yes ; for the confounding of justification and sancti- 
fication lays the foundation of many errors, both in prin- 
ciple and practice ; and the want of a clear understanding 
of the difference between these two, contributes to depress 
and encumber the believer in his exercise ; whereas the 
distinct knowledge of it would free him from that bond- 
age, John viii. 32. . 

Q,. 9. In what do justification and sanctification differ 1 

A. They differ in many respects ; particularly in their 
matter, kind, form, properties, subjects, order, extent, in- 
gredients, evidences; in their relation to the law; their 
relation to Christ's offices ; and their use to believers. 

Q,. 10. In what do they differ in their matter? 

A. The matter of justification is the righteousness of 
Christ; but the matter of sanctification is the fulness of 
Christ communicated, or grace imparted from him, out of 
whose fulness we receive, and grace for grace, John i. 16. 

Q,. 11. How do they differ as to their kind 1 

A. Justification makes a relative, sanctification a real 
change : the first changes a man's state, the other changes 
his heart and life, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 

Q,. 12. How do they differ as to their form, or manner 
of conveyance ? 

A. Justification is effected by the imputation of Christ's 
righteousness to us ; sanctification, by the implantation 
of his grace in us. 

Q,. 13. How do they differ in their properties ? 

A. Justification is complete and perfect at first ; but 
sanctification is carried on gradually, from less to more, 
until the soul be ripe for glory ; the righteousness of justi- 
fication is strictly and properly meritorious, being the 



188 



OF SANCTIFICATION. 



righteousness of God, by which the law is not only fulfilled, 
but magnified ; but the righteousness of sanctification is 
not so, being only the righteousness of a sinful creature, 
imperfect in degrees : justification is equal in all believers, 
but they are not all equally sanctified : hence, in God's 
family, there are little children, l John ii. 12: and in his 
garden, trees of different tallness, or height, Ps. xcii. 12, 
compared with Zech. i. 8. 

Q,. 14. How do they differ in their subjects ? 

A. Christ himself, and not the believer, is the subject of 
our justifying righteousness ; it is inherently in him who 
wrought it out perfectly for us ; but the believer himself is 
the subject of the righteousness of sanctification ; it is im- 
planted in him as a new nature ; whereas his justifying 
righteousness is not in him as a nature, but on him as a 
robe ; and hence it is said to be upon all them that believe, 
Rom. hi. 22. 

Q,. 1 5. How do they differ in their order ? 

A. Although, as to time, they are simultaneous ; yet, as 
to the order of nature, justification goes before sanctifica- 
tion, as the cause before the effect, or as fire is before light 
and heat. 

Q. 16. How do they differ as to their extent ? 

A. Although justification respects the whole person, yet, 
it immediately terminates upon conscience, God's deputy, 
purging it from dead works, and pacifying it with the 
sprinkling of the blood of Christ; nothing giving true 
peace to conscience, but that which gave full satisfaction 
to justice : but by sanctification we are renewed in the 
whole man, Eph. iv. 23, 24. 

Q,. 17. How do they differ as to their ingredients? 

A. The main ingredient in justification is the grace and 
love of God towards us, manifested in pardoning and ac- 
cepting us in Christ ; whereas the main ingredient in sanc- 
tification is our gratitude and love to God, flowing from 
his love to us, and appearing in our obedience and keep- 
ing his commandments, by virtue of his " Spirit put within 
us, and causing us to walk in his statutes," Ezek. xxxvi. 27. 

Q,. 18. How do they differ as to evidence? 

A. Justification is evidenced by our sanctification ; for 
none can warrantably conclude they are justified by the 
righteousness of Christ, if not students of true holiness, 
and groaning under a body of sin and death : but sancti- 
fication cannot be evidenced by our justification ; which 
being the hidden root of holiness under ground, does not 
appear, except in lively actings of justifying faith, and 
other graces, which are internal branches of sanctification, 
sometimes inwardly discerned by the believer, and some- 
times outwardly discovered to others by works, James 
ii. 18. 



OF SANCTIFICATION. 



189 



Q,. 19. How do they differ in their relation to the law ? 

A. Justification has relation to the law, as a covenant, 
and frees the soul from it, Rom. vii. 4 ; sanctiflcation re- 
spects the law as a rule, and makes the soul breathe after 
conformity to it, and to delight in it after the inward man, 
Rom. vii. 22 ; hence justification is a judicial sentence, ab- 
solving us from law-debt; sanctiflcation, a spiritual change, 
fitting us for law-duty. 

Q,. 20. How do they differ in their relation to the offices 
of Christ ? 

A. Justification springs from, and is grounded upon the 
priestly office of Christ, by which he satisfied law and jus- 
tice, as our surety; but sanctiflcation proceeds from his 
kingly office, by which he subdues us to his obedience, and 
writes his law in our hearts, Jer. xxxi. 33. 

Q,. 21. How do they differ in their use to believers 1 

A. Justification gives us a title to heaven and eternal 
life ; sanctiflcation gives a meetness for it : justification is 
God's act, pronouncing our persons righteous in Christ, 
and taking away the guilt of sin; sanctiflcation is the 
Spirit's work, cleansing our nature, and taking away the 
filth of sin : by the former, we are instated into the favour 
of God ; by the latter, adorned with the image of God. 

Q,. 22. How may the work of sanctiflcation be distin* 
guished? 

A. Into habitual and actual sanctiflcation. 

Q,. 23. What may be termed habitual sanctiflcation 1 

A. It is that [whereby we are renewed in the whole man, 

after the image of God,] and so a renovation of the nature, 

Eph. iv. 24. 

Q,. 24. Can any have a sanctified life, who have not a 
renewed nature 7 

A. No ; for a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, 
Matt. vii. 18. 

Q,. 25. What is to be understood by [the whole man] 
that must be renewed 3 

A. Both soul and body ; in all the powers of the one, and 
members of the other, 2 Cor. vii. 1. 1 Thess. v. 23. 

Q. 26. What is the difference between the renewing of 
the whole man in sanctification, and the renewing men- 
tioned in effectual calling 7 

A. The renovation in effectual calling is only begun; 
but this of sanctiflcation, is carried on by degrees, till 'per- 
fected in glory, Phil. i. 6 : there, the seed of grace is sown ; 
here, it is ivatered, in order to growth : there, the habit is 
implanted, John i. 13 ; h ere, it is strengthened for exercise, 
Eph. ii. 10. 

Q,. 27. After whose image is the whole man renewed ? 
A. [After the image of God:] consisting in knowledge, 
righteousness, and holiness, Col. iii. 10. Eph. iv. 24. 



190 



OF SANCTIFICATION. 



Q,. 28. Whose image do we bear, before we are renewed 
in the whole man 1 

A. The image of the first Adam after the fall, having his 
nature corrupted, Gen. v. 3. 

Q,. 29. Can any be renewed in the whole man, without 
being united to the second Adam ? 

A. No ; for we are not sanctified, except by faith uniting 
us to Christ, Acts xv. 9, and xxvi. 18. 1 Cor. i. 2, — Sanc- 
tified in Christ Jesus. 

Q. 30. Though the believer be renewed [in the whole 
man,] yet is any part of the new creature wholly re~ 
neived ? 

A. The two contrary principles, grace and corruption, 
are in the sanctified ; being together in such sort, that in 
every particular part, where the one is, the other is there 
also beside it : for, what we have of this gracious work of 
sanctification upon us while here, is but in part ; it is not 
perfect, 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10. 

Q,. 31. What is the tendency of habitual sanctification] 
A. The tendency of it is to actual sanctification, Eph. 
ii. 10. 

Q,. 32. In what consists actual sanctification 1 
A. In being [enabled more and more to die unto sin, and 
live unto righteousness,] Rom. vi. 4, 6. 
Q,. 33. In what does habitual sanctification differ from 

actual ? 

A. The first points at the renovation of our nature ; the 
second at the renovation of our life : the first at the habit ; 
the second at the exercise of grace, working inwardly in 
the heart, and outwardly in the ivalk, Eph. ii. 10. 

d. 34. What are the parts of actual sanctification, and 
how are they commonly termed ? 

A. Mortification ; or, a dying unto sin ; and vivification ; 
or, a living unto righteousness. 

Q,. 35. Can any die to sin, and live to righteousness, 
without being [enabled by grace ?] 

A. No : " We are not sufficient of ourselves to think 
any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God," 
2 Cor. iii. 5. The strength of habitual grace will not be 
sufficient, without actual assistance. 

Q,. 36. How does the grace of God enable us to die to 
sin, and live to righteousness 1 

A. It enables us [mvre and more,] 1 Thess. iv. 2, or, by 
little and little, from time to time ; for, " the path of the 
just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto 
the perfect day," Prov. iv. 18 ; and "they go from strength 
to strength," Ps. lxxxiv. 7. 

Q,. 37. Does the work of actual sanctification go on 
constantly without interruption 1 

A. The sanctified person is subject to backsliding 



OP SANCTIFICATION. 



191 



and decay ; yet God never altogether takes his hand from 
the good work he has begun, but makes good use of 
backslidings for farther progress in it, Hos. xiv. 4, 7. 

Q. 38. Why is not actual sanctification perfected in this 
life, but still a remainder of corruption left in God's people 1 

A. To make them know from experience, the strength 
of sin, the necessity of mortifying grace, and of the 
abundance of pardoning grace, 2 Cor. xii. 7 — 9 ; and 
to keep them exercised in prayer and humiliation, in the 
faith and hope of deliverance from a body of sin and death, 
through Christ, Rom. vii. 24, 25. 

Q,. 39. What is it to [die to sin ?] 

A. To have the power of sin, in our nature, so far des- 
troyed as not to obey it, but to hate it in heart, and ab- 
stain from it in life, Rom. vi. 6. 

Q,. 40. What is it to [live to righteousness ?] 

A. To have our nature so quickened by the power 
of grace, as to love and obey the commands of righteous- 
ness in our life, Rom. vL 13. 

Q,. 41, From whence is it that this death to sin, and life 
to righteousness spring ] 

A. They spring from the virtue that is in the death and 
resurrection of Christ, to render his mystical members 
conformable to him in them ; " That, like as Christ was 
raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, even 
so we also should walk in newness of life ; for, if we have 
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall 
be also in the likeness of his resurrection," Rom. vi. 4, 5. 

Q,. 42. Why have the death and resurrection of Christ 
such a conforming virtue 1 

A. Because he died and rose again as a public person, 
Eph. ii. 5, 6, and merited this conformation or fashioning 
of his mystical members to his own image, Phil. iii. 10. 

Q,. 43. In what consists the excellency of sanctification ? 

A. It is the end and design of our election, Eph. i. 4 ; of 
our effectual calling, 2 Tim. i. 9 ; of our justification and 
deliverance from the law as a covenant, Rom. vi. 14 ; and 
of our adoption, Eph. i. 4, 5 : it is the end both of mercies 
and crosses, Rom. ii. 4, Isa. xxvii. 9 ; and, in a word, it is 
the end and design of all the precepts of the law, the 
promises of the gospel, and the operation of the Spirit of 
God. 

Q,. 44. Whence arises the necessity of holiness, or sanc- 
tification ? 

A. From the holy nature and will of God : for " it is writ- 
ten, Be ye holy, for I am holy," 1 Pet. i. 16 ; and " this is the 
will of God, even our sanctification," 1 Thess. iv. 3 ; and 
from the death of Christ, « who gave himself for us, that 
he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to him- 
self a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Tit. ii. 14. 



192 



OF SANCTIFICATION. 



Q,. 45. For what good end and use is sanctification ne- 
cessary 1 

A. Not for justification before God ; but for evidencing 
our justification and faith, James, ii. 18. It is necessary 
for glorifying God, Matt. v. 16, and showing forth his 
praise, ] Pet. ii. 19 ; for adorning the doctrine of God our 
Saviour, Tit. iL 10 ; for proving our union to Christ, John 
xv. 5, 6 ; for promoting inward peace and rejoicing, Ps. 
cxix. 165, 2 Cor. i. 12 ; for maintaining fellowship and 
communion with God, John xiv. 21, 23 ; for making us 
meet for heaven, because without holiness no man shall 
see God, Heb. xii. 14; for making us useful to men on 
earth, Tit. in. 8 ; and for stopping the mouth of calumny 
when we are reproached as evil doers, 1 Pet. iii. 16. 

Q. 46. What is the meritorious cause of our sanctifica- 
tion? 

A. The blood of Christ, Heb. xiii. 12: "Wherefore 
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own 
blood, suffered without the gate." 

Q,. 47. Whence flows the sanctifying or purifying virtue 
of the blood of Christ ? 

A. From the atoning virtue of it, Heb. ix. 14. 

Q,. 48. What is the instrumental cause of our sanctifi- 
cation 7 

A. The faith of the operation of God, Acts xv. 9. 
Q,. 49. What is the regulating or directing cause ] 
A. The law of God, Isa. viii. 20. 

Q,. 50. What is the exemplary cause of sanctification 1 
A. The copy that Christ has set us by his obedience 

and sufferings, in so far as imitable by us, 1 Pet. ii. 

21, 22. 

Q,. 51. What are the marks of sanctification 1 

A. A heart-respect to all God's commandments, and 
loving them because they are holy ; a hatred of sin, and 
avoiding of all appearance of evil ; a spirit of watchful- 
ness and warfare against sin ; a delight in doing good ; 
a conversation becoming the gospel ; and an habitual 
improvement of the blood of Christ, by faith and prayer, 
for cleansing from the filth of sin, and of the precious 
promises for that end, 2 Cor. vii. 1. 1 Pet. i. 4. 

Q,. 52. What are the chief motives and inducements to 
sanctification ? 

A. The will of God, commanding, 1 Pet. i. 15; the love 
of Christ constraining, 1 Cor. v. 14; the dignity of thus 
resembling God, Lev. xix. 2 ; and the indignity of resem- 
bling the devil by the want of it, John viii. 44. 

Q,. 53. What should we do to be sanctified? 

A. We should fly to Christ by faith, touching the hem 
of his garment for healing and purification, for we " are 
sanctified in Christ Jesus," 1 Cor. i. 2 ; we should pray for 



OF BENEFITS IN THIS LIFE. 



193 



the Spirit of sanctification, through whom alone the deeds 
of the body can be mortified, Rom. viii. 13; we should 
associate with saints, for " he that walketh with the wise, 
shall be wise," Prov. xiii. 20 ; association begets assimila- 
tion ; and we should make a right use of God's word and 
rod, sabbaths and sacraments. 



Quest. 36. What are the benefits which, in this life, 
do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, a?id 
sanctification 1 

Ans. The benefits which, in this life, do accompany or 
flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, 
assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the 
Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein 
to the end. 

OF ASSURANCE. 

Q,. 1. Are not justification, adoption, and sanctification, 
pregnant with many blessings } 

A. Yes ; their name may well be called Gad, (Gen. xxx. 
11,) for troops of blessings attend them; some in this life, 
some at death, but the best of all in the life to come. 

Q. 2. What are the benefits which flow from them in 
this life ? 

A. There are five of them mentioned in the answer; 
namely, " assurance of God's love," Rom. v. 5 ; " peace of 
conscience," Rom. v. 1; "joy in the Holy Ghost," Rom. 
xiv. 17; "increase of grace," Prov. iv. 18; and "perse- 
verance therein to the end," 1 Pet. i. 5. 

Q. 3. Which of these benefits flow from a sight and 
sense of justification, adoption, and sanctification 3 

A. [Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, and 
joy in the Holy Ghost.] 

Q,. 4. Which of them belong to the being of a justified, 
adopted, and sanctified state 1 

A. [Increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the 
end.] 

Q. 5. Do all justified, adopted, and sanctified persons, 
enjoy assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, and 
joy in the Holy Ghost, at all times ? 

A. Though they have them radically in their justifica- 
tion, adoption, and sanctification, yet they are not always 
sensible of the possession of them, but are frequently filled 

Part I.— 17 



194 



OF ASSURANCE. 



with doubts and fears about their gracious state, Job xxiii. 
8, 9. Isa. xlix. 14. 

Q,. 6. Whence is it that they who have assurance, peace v 
and joy in the root, have not always the sensible posses- 
sion of these benefits 1 

A. This flows sometimes from a sovereign cause in God, 
to keep down a spirit of pride after special manifestations, 
2 Cor. xii. 7 ; and sometimes from a sinful cause in believ- 
ers ; such as, untenderness in their walk, Isa. lix. 2 ; rest- 
ing upon a manifestation, Luke ix. 33, 34 ; or quenching 
the gracious motions and operations of the Spirit, Eph. 
iv. 30. 

Q,. 7. Is it the assurance of sense, or the assurance of 
faith, that is mentioned in this answer ? 

A. It is the assurance of sense, or the sensible [assur- 
ance of God's love.] 

Q,. 8. What is the difference between the assurance of 
faith, and the assurance of sense ? 

A. The object of the assurance of faith is " Christ in the 
promise," James ii. 23 ; but the object of the assurance 
of sense is " Christ formed in the soul," 2 Tim. ii. 12 ; or, 
which is the same thing, the assurance of faith is founded 
on the infallible word of God, who cannot lie ; but the as- 
surance of sense upon the person's present experience of 
the communications of divine love. 

Q. 9. How may assurance of God's love be said to [ac- 
company or flow, from justification ?] 

A. Because in it we see his love to us, in pardoning our 
sins, and receiving- us into his favour, Ps. ciii. 3, 4. 

Q,. 10. How may it be said to accompany or flow from 
[adoption ?] 

A. Because we see in it his love to us, in bringing us 
into his family, and pitying us, " like as a father pitieth his 
children," Ps. ciii. 13. 

Q,. 1 1 . How may it be said to accompany or flow from 
[sanctification ?] 

A. Because in it we see his love to us, in killing our 
corruptions, and quickening his graces, Rom. vi. 11, 14. 

Q,. 12. How do you prove that the sensible assurance of 
God's love is attainable ? 

A. From the command to give diligence to attain it, 2 
Pet. i. 10; and from its being actually attained, by many 
of the saints ; such as, Job, chap, xix, 25, 26. David, Ps. 
Ixxiii. 26. Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8, and others. 

Q,. 13. How are the saints brought to this privilege'? 

A. Sometimes by a course of holy and self-denied dili* 
gence in the way of commanded duty, Isa. xxxii. 17 ; and 
sometimes by the Spirit itself bearing witness with their 
spirits, that they are the children of God, Rom. viii. 16. 



OF PEACE OF CONSCIENCE. 



195 



Q,. 14. What may afford comfort to a believer, when at 
any time he loses this assurance 1 

A. That the covenant stands fast with Christ, Ps. lxxxix. 
28 ; that the love of God is invariably the same, Zeph. iii. 
17; and that he will in his own time return with wonted 
loving-kindness, Isa. liv. 7, 8. 

Q,. 15. What is incumbent on believers for recovering 
the assurance of God's love when they have lost the pre- 
sent sense of it 1 

A. To be humbled for sin, as the procuring cause of the 
Lord's departure, Ps. xJ. 12; to justify God, and to con- 
demn themselves, Dan. ix. 7, 8 ; and to wait in the exer- 
cise of prayer and fasting, for the returns of his love, Isa. 
viii. 17. 

Q,. 16. Of what advantage to believers is the assurance 
of God's love? 

A. It animates to the practice of every commanded 
duty, Ps. cxix. 32; it supports under all trials and afflic- 
tions, Ps. xxiii. 4 ; and it fills the soul with the love of God, 
" because he first loved us," 1 John iv. 19. 

Q,. 17. How may we knoiv if we have the well-founded 
assurance of God's love! 

A. If it flow from faith on Christ in the promise, Eph. i. 
13; if it fill the soul with an humble and holy wondering 
at the condescending goodness of God, 2 Sam. vii. 18 ; and 
if it beget ardent desires after nearer conformity to God 
here, and the full enjoyment of him hereafter, 1 John iii. 
2,3. 

Q,. 18. What is the difference between a true assurance 
of God's love and a false and presumptuous confidence ? 

A. True assurance makes a man more humble and 
self-denied, Gal. ii. 19, 20; but presumptuous confidence 
puffs up with spiritual pride and self-conceit, 2 Kings x. 15, 
16 : the one excites to the practice of every commanded, 
duty, Ps. cxix. 32 ; but the other encourages sloth and 
indolence, Luke xi. 21 : the man wiio has true assurance, 
-wants to be searched and tried as to the reality thereof, 
Ps. xx vi. 1, 2; but they who are stuffed with presumptu- 
ous confidence hate the light, " neither come to the light, 
lest their deeds should be reproved," John iii. 20. 



OF PEACE OF CONSCIENCE. 

Q. J, What is [peace of conscience?] 

A. It is the inward quiet and tranquillity of the mind, 
arising from the faith of being justified before God, Rom. 
v. 1. 

Q. 2. Why is peace of conscience said to accompany or 
flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification 1 



196 



OF JOY IN THE HOLY GHOST. 



A. Because none can have true peace of conscience 
who are not justified, adopted, and sanctified : there being 
" no peace to the wicked," Isa. lvii. 21. 

Q,. 3. When may we be said to have that peace of con- 
science which flows from justification ? 

A. When the conscience, being sprinkled with the 
blood of Christ, is set free from the fear of vindictive 
wrath, Heb. x. 22. 

Q,. 4. When have we that peace which flows from 
adoption ? 

A. When we have soul-quiet and composure, through 
the faith of God's being our friend and father in Christ, 
Jer. iii. 4, 19. 

Gt. 5. When have we that peace which accompanies or 
flows from sanctification ? 

A. When we have the Spirit of God shining on us, in 
the exercise of grace, and assisting us in the performance 
of duty, Ps. cxxxviii. 3. 

Q,. 6. Whether is the peace of sanctification, or that of 
justification, most stable and permanent ? 

A. The peace of sanctification, having many imperfec- 
tions cleaving to it, is more fluctuating and unstable than 
the peace of justification, which is founded upon a right- 
eousness that is everlasting, and always the same, Isa. xlv. 
24, 25. 

Q,. 7. Have all believers peace in their consciences at all 
times 2 

A. They have ground of peace, being in a state of 
peace ; but have not always the sense of it, Job vi. 4. 

Q,. 8. What is it that hinders or mars the sense of peace 
in those who are in a state of peace'? 

A. Their not improving the promises by faith, for pro- 
moting their sanctification, Isa. xl. 27, 28; their sitting 
down upon present or former attainments, Ps. xxx. 6, 7 ; 
and their giving way to the temptations of Satan, 
who is an enemy both to their grace and comfort, Isa. 
Jiv. 11. 

Q,. 9. What are the marks of true peace of conscience, 
which distinguish it from carnal security ? 

A. A continual warfare against all known sin, Ps. cxix. 
104; and a sincere endeavour to please God, verse 165 ; 
with a constant fear of offending him, Gen. xxxix. 9. 



OF JOY IN THE HOLY GHOST. 

Q. 1. What is [joy in the Holy Ghost ?] 
A. It is that inward elevation and enlargement of soul 
which flows from the lively exercise of faith, feasting on 



OF INCREASE OF GRACE. 



197 



Christ in the promise, 1 Pet. i. 8 : " Believing, ye rejoice, 
with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." 
Q,. 2. Why is this joy said to be [in the Holy Ghost ?] 
A. Because the Holy Ghost is the author of it ; as per- 
sonally inhabiting, or residing in the believer, John xiv. 
16, 17. 

Q,. 3. What is the matter or ground of this joy 1 

A. God in Christ as the everlasting portion of the be- 
lieving soul, Ps. xvi. 5, 6. 

Q,. 4. What are the properties of it 7 

A. It is a hidden joy, Prov. xiv. 10 ; it is permanent, 
John xvi. 22 ; and it is unspeakable, 1 Pet. i. 8. 

Q,. 5. What are the peculiar seasons of this joy ? 

A. The time of special manifestations after a dark night 
of desertion, Isa. liv. 7, 8; the time of tribulation for 
Christ's sake, Acts xvi. 25 ; the time of God's remarkable 
appearance for his church, Ex. xv. 1; and sometimes in 
or about the time of death, Ps. xxiii. 4. 

Q,. 6. When may believers be said to have that joy in 
the Holy Ghost, which accompanies or flows from justv* 
Jication ? 

A. When they have " boldness to enter into the holiest 
by the blood of Jesus," Heb. x. 19. 

Q,. 7. When may they be said to have that joy which 
flows from adoption ? 

A. When the " Spirit itself beareth witness with their 
spirit, that they are the children of God ;" and enables them 
to cry, Abba, Father, Rom. viii. 15, 16. 

Q,. 8. When may they be said to have the joy that flows 
from sanctification ? 

A. When they have the testimony of their conscience 
bearing witness to their sincerity, and to the uprightness 
of their aims and endeavours in all the duties of religion, 
2 Cor. i. 12: "For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of 
our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not 
with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have 
had our conversation in the world." 

Q,. 9. What are the signs and evidences of joy in the 
Holy Ghost, which distinguish it from that joy which tem- 
porary believers, or hypocrites, may sometimes have in 
the word? Matt. xiii. 20. 

A. Joy in the Holy Ghost has an enlivening, Neh. viii. 
10 ; enlarging, Ps. xiv. 1; humbling, Job xlii. 5, 6 ; and sanc- 
tifying influence upon the soul, 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; whereas the 
joy of hypocrites has no such effects. 



OF INCREASE OF GRACE. 

Q. 1. What do you understand by [increase of grace?] 
17* 



198 



OF INCREASE OF GRACE. 



A. The gradual advances which the saints are helped 
to make, in the exercise of grace, and experimental god- 
liness, Ps. xcii. 12, 13. 

Q,. 2. To what is the increase of grace compared in scrip- 
ture'? 

A. To " the shining light, that shineth more and more 
unto the perfect day," Pro v. iv. 18. 

Q,. 3. What is the spring or cause of the believer's 
growth ? 

A. Union with Christ, John xv. 4 ; and participation of 
vital influences from him, Col. ii. 19. 
Q,. 4. Why is it ordered that believers shall grow in 

grace ! 

A. Because there is a particular stature, at which every 
member of the mystical body is appointed to arrive, even 
" the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. 

iv. 13. 

O. 5. How does growth in grace flow from justification ? 

A. In as much as the justified person is delivered from 
a legal incapacity to grow, Ps. cxvi. 16 ; and is made free 
and unfettered for the service of God, Gal. v. 1. 

Q,. 6. How does it flow from adoption ] 

A. In as much as the sincere milk of the word is desired 
by the new-born babes, that they may grow thereby, 1 Pet. 
ii. 2. 

Q. 7. How does it flow from sanctification ? 

A. In as much as the image of God, drawn upon the 
soul, is in sanctification, carried on to a nearer conformity, 
till we shall be perfectly like him, when we shall see him as 
he is, 1 John iii. 2. 

Q,. 8. Do believers grow in grace at all times ? 

A. They have a principle of growth, the seed of God re- 
maining in them, 1 John iii. 9; but they do not grow at 
all times ; they have their winters. Song ii. 11, in which the 
influences of grace, necessary for growth, are ceased, chap. 

v. 2. 

Q,. 9. Whence is it that the believer's growth ceases at 
any time ] 

A. Faith being like the pipe that received the oil from 
the boivl to each lamp in the candlestick, Zech. iv. 2 ; if 
that pipe be stopped, or the saint's faith lie dormant and 
inactive, then all the rest of the graces will also languish 
and decay, Ps. xxvii. 13. 

Q. 10. How is growth in grace revived, after the lan- 
guishings and decays of it] 

A. The pipe of faith remaining still at the fountain, as a 
bond of union between Christ and the soul, the Lord Jesus 
clears this mean of conveyance, and then the influences 
for growth flow, and the believer's graces look fresh and 
green again. Hos. xiv. 7: " They that dwell under his sha- 



OF INCREASE OF GRACE. 



199 



dow shall return ; they shall revive as the corn, and grow 
as the vine." 

Q,, 11. Since the tares have their growth, as well as the 
wheat, Matt. xiii. 26, how shall we distinguish between 
the growth of hypocrites, and the growth of the true Chris- 
tian ? 

A. The distinction lies in the nature of the growth : the 
growth of the true Christian is regular and proportionable 
in all the parts of the new man; it is a growing- up into him 
in all things who is the head, Eph. iv. 15; whereas, hypo- 
crites when they get more knowledge into their heads, 
and no more holiness into their hearts, may be more taken 
up with the externals of religion than formerly, and yet 
as great strangers to the^ot^er of godliness as ever, 2 Tim. 
iii. 5. 

Q. 12. What are the several ways in which believers 
grow at once ? 

A. They grow inwardly and outwardly ; upward and 
downward, Isa. xxxvii. 31. 

Q,. 13. How do believers grow inwardly? 

A. By uniting more closely to Christ, and cleaving more 
firmly to him as the head of influences, which is the spring 
of all other true Christian growth, Eph. iv. 15. 

Q,. 14. How do they grow outivardly ? 

A. By being fruitful in good works in their life and con- 
versation, Tit. iii. 8. 

Q,. 15. How do they grow upward? 

A. In heavenly-mindedness and contempt of the world, 
Phil. iii. 20 : " Our conversation is in heaven ]" 

Q,. 16. How do they grow downward ? 

A. In humility and self-abasement ; the branches of the 
largest growth in Christ, are, in their own eyes, less than 
the least of all saints, Eph. iii. 8 ; yea, the chief of sinners, 
1 Tim. i. 15; they see that they can do nothing, 2 Cor. 
iii. 5; that they deserve nothing, Gen. xxxii. 10; and that 
they are nothing, 2 Cor. xii. 11. 

Q,. 17. May not Christians mistake their case, by mea- 
suring their growth in one of these ways, exclusively of 
the rest of them 1 

A. Yes ; if, for instance, they measure it upwards, and 
not at all downwards ; for, though a Christian may want 
the sweet consolations and flashes of affection, which he 
has sometimes had, yet, if he be growing in humility, self- 
denial, and a sense of needy dependence on the Lord 
Jesus, he is a growing Christian, Hos. xiv. 5 : " I will be 
as the dew unto Israel ; he shall — east forth his roots as 
Lebanon." 

Q,. 18. When believers cannot perceive their growth, 
how may they know if they have true grace at all, how- 
ever weak ? 



200 



OF PERSEVERANCE. 



A. If they have any measure of self-loathing on account 
of sin, Ezek. xxxvi. 31; if they have a desire for grace, 
Neh. i. 11; if they prize Christ above all things, Phil. hi. 8; 
and if they love his members for his sake, 1 John v. 1. 



OF PERSEVERANCE. 

Q,. L What is meant by [perseverance] in grace? 

A. A continuing still in the state of grace, and the habi- 
tual practice of godliness, to the end, John x. 28. 

Q,. 2. Can none who are justified, adopted, and sancti- 
fied, fall totally and finally from grace 1 

A. No : they can neither fall totally from all grace nor 
finally without recovery ; for, " those that thou gavest me, 
says Christ, I have kept, and none of them is lost," John 
xvii. 12. 

Q,. 3. How is the perseverance of the saints infallibly 

secured $ 

A. By the immutability of electing love, Jer. xxxi. 3 ; by 
an indissoluble union with Christ, Rom. viii. 38, 39; by 
the merit of his purchase, 1 Pet. i. 18, 19 ; by the pre valency 
of his intercession, Luke xxii. 32 ; by the inhabitation of 
the Spirit, John xiv. 16; and by the power of a 'promising 
God, 1 Pet. i. 5. 

Q,. 4. What promise, among others, have believers for 
their perseverance in grace to the end 1 

A. They have that remarkable promise, in Jer. xxxii. 40 : 
" I will not turn away from them to do them good ; but I 
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart 
from me." 

Q,. 5. What security have believers by this promise 1 
A. They are secured on every side ; both that God will 
never cast them off, and that they shall never depart from 

him ? 

Q,. 6. What is the ground, in law, upon which believers 
are secured, that God will never cast them off, and that 
they shall never depart from him 1 

A. Christ's perseverance in obedience to the law for 
them, till the condition of the covenant was perfectly ful- 
filled, Phil. ii. 8, by which their perseverance was pur- 
chased, and infallibly secured, Tit. ii. 14. 

Q,. 7. Do all who make a zealous profession of religion 
persevere in it ? 

A. No : many of them afterwards fall away, John vi. 66. 

Q,. 8. What may we conclude about those who fall to- 
tally and finally from their profession 1 

A. That they were never in reality what they professed 
themselves to be, 1 John ii. 19 : "They went out from us, 
but they were not of us ; for if they had been of us, they 



OF PERSEVERANCE. 



201 

• 



would no doubt have continued with us ; but they went 
out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not 
all of us." 

Q,. 9. What are the chief branches of the promise of per- 
severance ] 

A. A promise of the continued influence of grace, Isa. 
xxvii. 3 ; and a promise of continued pardon tor the sins 
of the believer's daily walk, Jer. xxxiii. 8. 

Q,. 10. Why is the promise of the continued influences of 
grace necessary ? 

A. Because the stock of inherent grace would soon fail : 
of itself, it would ivither away, and die out, if it were not 
fed, John xv. 16. 

Q,. 11. Why is the promise of continued pardon neces- 
sary to the perseverance of saints already justified 1 

A. Not as if there were any need of new pardons with 
respect to their state ; because none of their sins can bring 
them afterwards under the guilt of eternal wrath, Rom. 
viii. 1; but only with respect to the sins of their daily walk, 
which bring them under the guilt of fatherly anger, Ps. 
lxxxix. 30—32. 

Q,. 12. How is the pardon of the sins of their daily walk 
granted to believers 1 

A. Upon their renewed actings of faith in Jesus Christ, 
and of repentance towards God ; yet not for their believ- 
ing and repenting, but for Christ's sake, 1 John ii. 1, 2, 
even as the first pardon is given, chap. i. 7. 

Q,. 13. Does repentance then go before the pardon of 
sin? 

A. Although repentance does not go before, but follows 
after the pardon of sin in justification ; yet not only faith 
but repentance also, goes before the pardons given to 
those who are already justified, 1 John i. 9: "If we con- 
fess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." 

Q,. 14. How does the perseverance of the saints flow 
from their justification ? 

A. In as much as they who are once justified, and ac- 
cepted in the Beloved, are always so ; for " the gifts and 
calling of God are without repentance," Rom. xi. 29. 

13,. 15. How does their perseverance flow from adoption? 

A. In as much as he who has adopted them as his chil- 
dren, is their everlasting Father, Isa. ix. 6 ; and therefore 
they shall abide in his house for ever, John viii. 35. 

Q,. 16. How does it flow from their sanctification ? 

A. In as much as the sanctifying Spirit is given them to 
abide with them for ever, John xiv. 16; and to be in them 
a well of water, springing up into everlasting life, chap, 
iv. 14. 

Q,. 17. What improvement should be made of this con- 



202 



OF BENEFITS AT DEATH. 



nexion of the benefits and blessings that accompany and 
fiow from justification, adoption, and sanctification? 

A. It should excite in us a desire after the saving know- 
ledge of the truth, as it is in Jesus, in whom all the lines 
of divine truth meet, as in their centre, Eph. iv. 21; and 
to admire the infinite goodness and wisdom of God, who 
has so linked all the blessings of the covenant into one 
another, that they who are possessed of one, are possessed 
of all, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. 



Quest. 37. What benefits do believers receive from 
Christ at death 1 

Axs. The souls of believers are, at their death, made 
perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory ; 
and their bodies being still united to Christ, do rest in 
their graves till the resurrection. 

Q,. 1. Why are the persons spoken of in the answer, 
called [believers . ? ] 

A. Because they have been enabled, by grace, to credit 
the truth of God in his promise, and to embrace the good 
that is in it, Heb. xi. 13. 

Q,. 2. What is the difference between believers, and oth- 
ers, in their death ? 

A. Believers die in virtue of the promise of the covenant 
of grace, in which death is made over to them unstinged, 
as a, part of Christ's legacy, 1 Cor. iii. 22 ; whereas all 
others die in virtue of the threatening of the covenant of 
works, Gen. ii. 17, having the sting of death sticking fast 
both in their souls and bodies. 

Q. 3. What is the sling of death? 

A. The sting of death is sin, 1 Cor. xv. 56; and the 
curse is the inseparable companion of sin, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 4. What security in law have believers against the 
sting of death ! 

AT Christ's receiving it into his own soul and body, 
as their Surety, that they might be delivered from it: 
wherefore the promise of victory over death, made to him, 
Isa. xxv. 8, secures the disarming of it to them, 1 Cor. 
xv. 57. 

Q,. 5. How many fold are the benefits which believers 
receive from Christ at their death 1 

A. They are twofold ; such as respect their souls, and 
such as respect their bodies. 

Q,. 6. How does it appear that [the soids of believers] 
exist in a state of separation from their bodies'? 



OF BENEFITS AT DEATH. 



203 



A. From the Lord's calling himself the "God of Abra- 
ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," long after 
their death, as an evidence that their souls were living ; 
for " God is not the God of the dead, but of the living," 
Matt. xxii. 32 ; and from the death of believers being 
called a departure, 2 Tim. iv. 6 ; intimating that the soul, 
upon its separation, departs only from the earthly house 
of this tabernacle, to a house not made with hands, eternal 
in the heavens, 2 Cor. v. 1. 

Q,. 7. Are the souls of men absolutely and independently 
immortal ? 

A. No : God only is so, 1 Tim. vi. 16 : Who only hath 
immortality. 

Q,. 8. In what sense then are souls immortal ? 

A. In that, as to their natural constitution, they are in- 
corruptible, having no inward principle of corruption, but 
remaining in a state of activity after the death of the body, 
Heb. xii. 23 : " The spirits of just men made perfect." 

Q,. 9. How do you prove the immortality of the soul 
from the nature of it 1 

A. In its nature, it is a spiritual, immaterial, or incorpo- 
real substance : and, therefore, w^here there is no composi- 
tion of parts, there can be no dissolution of them, Luke 
xxiv. 39 : "A spirit hath not flesh and bones." 

Q,. 10. How are we sure that the soul shall never be 
annihilated 1 

A. From the promise of everlasting happiness to the 
righteous; and the threatening of everlasting misery to 
the wicked, Matt. xxv. 46 : " These shall go away into 
everlasting punishment ; but the righteous into life eter- 
nal." 

Q,. 11. What are the benefits conferred upon the souls 
of believers, upon their separation from their bodies ? 

A. They are [made perfect in holiness, and do immedi- 
ately pass into glory,] Heb. xii. 23. Phil. i. 23. 

Q. 12. How does it appear, that the souls of believers 
are not made perfect in holiness, while united to their 
bodies in this life ] 

A. From the remains of corruption and indwelling sin 
which cleave to the best of the saints of God, while in an 
imbodied state, Rom. vii. 23, 24. 

Q. 13. In what consists that [perfect holiness] which is 
conferred upon the souls of believers at their separation 1 

A. Not only in a perfect freedom from all sin, as to the 
very being of it, Rev. xxi. 4, but in a perfect likeness and 
conformity to God, 1 John iii. 2. 

Q,. 14. What comfort may the believer have, in the pros- 
pect of the separation of his soul from his body 7 

A. That as sin made its first entrance into him at the 
union of his soul and body, so it shall be for ever cast out 



« 



204 



OF BENEFITS AT DEATH. 



at their separation ; in which respect, among many oth- 
ers, death is great gain, Phil. i. 21. 

Q,. 15. Why must the souls of believers be perfectly holy 
at their separation ] 

A. Because nothing that dejileth can enter within the 
gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 27. 

Q. 16. What is the necessary concomitant of the soul's 
perfect holiness ? 

A.. Perfect and uninterrupted communion with God, 1 
John hi. 2. 

Q,. 17. Where is this perfect and uninterrupted com- 
munion to be enjoyed ! 
A. In glory, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Q. 18. When do the souls of the saints [pass into glory?] 

A. As they are made perfect in holiness immediately 
upon their separation, so do they likewise [immediately] 
pass into glory. 

Q,. 19. Why is it said in the answer that they pass [im- 
mediately] into glory? 

A. To show that the fiction of a middle state, between 
heaven and hell, invented by the papists, has no manner 
of warrant, or foundation in scripture. 

Q,. 20. How do you prove from scripture, that the souls 
of believers, upon their separation from their bodies, pass 
immediately into glory ? 

A. The soul of that certain beggar, named Lazarus, 
was immediately, upon its separation, "carried by the 
angels into Abraham's bosom," Luke xvi. 22 : in like man- 
ner the soul of the thief upon the cross was immediately 
glorified ; for, says Christ to him, " To-day shalt thou be 
with me in paradise," Luke xxiii. 43 ; and Stephen, among 
his last words, prays, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," 
Acts vii. 59 ; plainly intimating, that he firmly believed his 
soul would be with Christ in glory immediately after 
death. 

Q. 21 What is that [glory] into which the souls of be- 
lievers immediately pass ? 

A. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have 
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him," 1 Cor. ii. 9. However, 
since naked discoveries of the heavenly glory, divested of 
earthly resemblances, would be too bright for our weak 
eyes ; such is the condescension of God, that he has been 
pleased to represent to us heaven's happiness, under 
similitudes taken from earthly things, glorious in the eyes 
of men. 

Q. 22. What are the similitudes by which this glory, into 
which the souls of believers immediately pass, is held forth 
in scripture 1 

A. It is compared to a kingdom, Luke xii. 32 ; to a house 



OP BENEFITS AT DEATH. 



205 



not made with hands, 2 Cor. v. 1; to an inheritance incor- 
ruptible, 1 Pet. i. 4 ; and to a better country, Heb. xi. 16. 

Q,. 23. Why is the heavenly glory compared to a king- 
dom ? 

A, Because of the fulness of all spiritual and eternal 
good, of which the saints are there possessed; and the 
glorious dignity to which they are advanced, Rev. i. 6: 
" And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his 
Father." 

Q,. 24. Why is it called a house not made with hands ? 

A. To signify the unspeakable excellency of the hea- 
venly mansions, above the most stately palaces built by 
the hands of men. 

Q,. 25. Why is it said to be an incorruptible inheri- 
tance ? 

A. To intimate, that the happiness of the saints will be 
of an unfading nature for ever, 1 Pet. v. 4 : " Ye shall re- 
ceive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 

Q,. 26. Why is it called a better country ? 

A. To show that there is no comparison between the 
things which are seen, and are temporal, and the things 
which are not seen, and are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 18. 

Q,. 27. What benefits do believers receive from Christ, at 
death, with respect to their bodies 1 

A. {Their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in 
their graves till the resurrection,] Isa. lvii. 2. Job xix. 26. 

Q,. 28. How does it appear, that the [bodies] of believers 
in their [graves,], remain [still united to Christ ?] 

A. The union was with the person of believers, of which 
their bodies are a part ; and this union being indissoluble, 
it must still subsist with their bodies in the grave, as well 
as with their souls in heaven, Isa. xxvi. 19. 

Q,. 29. How may believers be assured of this from the 
union between the two natures in the person of Christ i 

A. Because, as at the death of Christ, though his soul 
was separated from his body, yet neither the one nor the 
other were separated from his divine person, but remain- 
ed as firmly united to it as ever ; so neither the soul nor 
body of the believer shall be separated from Christ by 
their separation from one another at death, but both of 
them remain indissolubly united to him for ever, Rom. viii. 
38, 39. 

Q. 30. What is the difference of the grave to the right- 
eous and to the wicked 7 

A. To the one the grave is a resting-place ; but to the 
other it is a prison-house, where they are kept in close 
custody for the judgment of the great day, Dan. xii. 2. 

Q,. 31. Why are the bodies of the saints said to [rest 
in their graves ?] 

A. Because their srraves are like beds of ease, where 

Part 1—18 



206 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



their bodies lie in safety, till they shall be awakened in the 
morning of the resurrection, Isa. lvii. 2. 

Q,. 32. How is their resting in the grave expressed in 
scripture 1 

A. By sleeping in Jesus, 1 Thess. iv. 14; intimating, 
that they sleep in union with Jesus, and that his Spirit 
keeps possession of every particle of their dust, which he 
will quicken and rebuild as his temple at the last day, 
Rom. viii. 11. 
Q,. 33. How long will they rest in their graves 1 
A. [ Till the resurrection] of all the dead at the great day, 
John v. 29. 

Q. 34. How may believers be assured of receiving these 
promised benefits from Christ at their death 1 

A. They may be assured of them, upon this ground, 
that the promises of these benefits to them are all ingraft- 
ed upon the promises made to him, as their glorious head, 
before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. i. 2. 

Q,. 35. Upon what promise made to Christ, is the pro- 
mise of disarming death, to the dying believer, ingrafted ; 
Hos. xiii. 14 : " O death ! I will be thy plagues'?" 

A. It is ingrafted upon the promise made to him, of 
complete victory aver death, Isa. xxv. 8 : " He will swal- 
low up death in victory." 

Q,. 36. Upon what ground may believers be assured 
that their souls, at death, shall immediately pass into glory ? 

A. The promise of transporting their souls into heaven, 
immediately upon the separation from their bodies, (Luke 
xxiii. 43, " Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To- 
day shalt thou be with me in paradise,") is ingrafted upon 
the promise made to Christ, that when he should make 
his soul an offering for sin, he should see his seed, Isa. 
liii. 10. 

Q,. 37. Upon what promise made to Christ is the pro- 
mise of destroying death, to the dead believer, ingrafted ; 
Hos. xiii. 14 : " O grave ! I will be thy destruction T' 

A. It is ingrafted upon the promise made to him, of the 
resurrection of his mystical members, Isa. xxvi. 19: "Thy 
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall 
they arise. Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in the dust." 



Quest. 38. What benefits do believers receive from 
Christ at the resurrection ? 

Ans. At the resurrection, believers being raised up in 
glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



207 



day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full 
enjoying of God to all eternity. 

Q. 1. Will not all others of mankind be raised as well 
as [believers ?] 

A. Yes; "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and unjust," Acts xxiv. 15. 

Q,. 2. How do you prove, that there will be a general re- 
surrection of the dead ? 

A. From the power of God, which can raise them, and 
from the scriptures, which affirm that he will do it ; by 
which two arguments, our Lord proves the doctrine of 
the resurrection, against the Sadducees, Matt. xxii. 29: 
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err; not 
knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." 

Q,. 3. How does it appear that God can raise the dead 1 

A. Since his power was able to speak the world into 
being- out of nothing, surely the same power can as easily 
raise up the bodies of men out of their former dust, and 
put them into order after their dissolution, Rom. iv. 17. 

Q,. 4. What scripture instances has God given of his 
power in raising the dead ? 

A. In the Old Testament ; the son of the widow of Sa- 
repta was raised, when he was but newly dead, 1 Kings 
xvii. 22 ; the Shunamite's son, when he had lain dead a 
considerable time, 2 Kings iv. 35 ; and the man cast into the 
sepulchre of Elisha, when they were burying him, chap, 
xiii. 21. In the New Testament ; the daughter of J aims, 
Mark v. 41, and Dorcas, Acts ix. 40, were both raised to 
life, when lately dead; the widow's son in Nain, when 
they were carrying him out to bury him, Luke vii. 12, 
15 ; and Lazarus, when dead four days, John xi. 39, 44. 

Q,. 5. How can the dust of men's bodies be distinguished 
and separated, when the ashes of many generations are 
mingled together 1 

A. With men it is impossible, but not with God; for, 
whoever believes an infinite understanding, Ps. cxlvii. 5, 
must own, that no mass of dust can be so intermixed, but 
that God perfectly comprehends and infallibly knows how 
the most minute particle, and every one of them is to be 
matched ; and therefore knows where the particles of 
each body are, and how to separate them one from an- 
other. 

Q,. 6. How is it evident from the scriptures, that God 
will raise the dead ? 

A. From several passages therein, which expressly affirm 
that he will do so, such as, Dan. xii. 2: "And many of 
them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake ; some 



208 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting con- 
tempt." John v. 28, 29 : " All that are in their graves shall 
hear his voice, and shall come forth : they that have done 
good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done 
evil unto the resurrection of damnation." See also Job 
xix. 26, 27. Acts xxiv. 15. 

Q,. 7. How did our Lord prove the resurrection against 
the Sadducees, who held only the five books of Moses as 
most authentic 1 

A. From Ex. iii. 6 : " I am the God of Abraham, and the 
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." From whence he 
argues, Luke xx. 37, 38: "Now, that the dead are raised, 
even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord, 
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God 
of Jacob : for he is not the God of the dead, but of the 
living." 

Q. 8. What is the force of this argument for proving the 
resurrection 1 

A. It amounts to this : he is the God of their persons, 
and not the God of their souls only ; and therefore, though 
their souls, in a separate state, love, worship, and praise 
him ; yet their bodies must also be raised out of the dust, 
and be restored to life by the soul's resuming its possession, 
that they may, as living persons, or men, having soul and 
body united, love, serve, and adore him ; and have the full 
enjoyment of all the blessings contained in his being their 
God, Heb. xi. 16. 

Q,. 9. Will the self-same body that dies be raised again ? 

A. Yes ; it will be, for substance, the same body that will 
be raised, though endued with other qualities. The very 
notion of a resurrection implies as much ; since nothing 
can be said to rise again, but that which falls. 

Q,. 10. How do you prove from scripture, that the self- 
same body that dies, shall be raised again ? 

A. Death, in scripture-language, is a sleep, and the re- 
surrection, an awakening- out of that sleep, Job xiv. 12; 
which shows the body rising up, to be the self-same that 
died ; and the apostle tells us, that it is this mortal, which 
must put on immortality, 1 Cor. xv. 53 ; and that Christ 
shall " change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like 
unto his glorious body," Phil. iii. 21. 

Q,. 11. How do you prove this from the equity of the 
divine procedure ? 

A. Though the glorifying of the bodies of the saints 
cannot, in a strict sense, be said to be the reward of their 
services or sufferings on earth ; yet it is not agreeable to 
the manner of the divine dispensation, that one body serve 
him, and another be glorified ; that one fight, and another 
receive the croivn. 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



209 



Q. 12. Will the same bodies of the wicked, which are laid 
in the dust, be also raised again i 

A. Yes ; that the same body which sinned may suffer : 
it being unsuitable, that one body be the instrument of 
sin here, and another suffer in hell for that sin. 

Q,, 13. By what means will the dead be raised ? 

A. " The Lord Jesus himself shall descend from heaven 
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
trump of God," 1 Thess. iv. 16; and at his alarming voice, 
which shall be heard all the world over, the scattered dust 
of all the dead shall be gathered together, dust to its dust ; 
and likewise every soul shall come again to its own body, 
never more to be separated. 

Q,. 14. In what order will they be raised? 

A. " The dead in Christ shall rise first," 2 Thess. iv. 16. 

Q,. 15. What will become of those who shall be found 
alive at the second coming of Christ ! 

A. They shall not die, and soon after be raised again ; 
but they shall be changed, in some such manner as Christ's 
body was on the mount, when transfigured; and they 
shall become like those bodies of the saints which are 
raised out of their graves, 1 Cor. xv. 51. 

Q,. 16. In what time will the dead be raised, and the liv- 
ing ch anged J 

A. " In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 
trump," 1 Cor. xv. 52. 

Q,. 17. What will be the difference between the resur- 
rection of the godly, and that of the wicked ? 

A. The godly shall be raised by virtue of the Spirit of 
Christ, the blessed bond of their union with him, Rom. 
viii. 11; and they shall come forth out of their graves with 
unspeakable joy, Isa. xxvi. 19 : " Awake and sing, ye that 
dwell in the dust :" but the wicked shall be raised by the 
power of Christ, as a just Judge ; and they shall come 
forth with unspeakable horror and consternation, as so 
many malefactors, " to be punished with everlasting de- 
struction from the presence of the Lord, and from the 
glory of his power," 2 Thess. i. 9. 

Q,. 18. In what state and condition will the bodies of be- 
lievers be raised ] 

A. They shall be [raised up in glory,] 1 Cor. xv. 43. 

Q,. 19. What is meant by the [glory] in which they shall 
be raised 1 

A. That they shall be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, 
and spiritual bodies, 1 Cor. xv. 42 — 44 : " It is sown in cor- 
ruption, it is raised in incorruption ; it is sown in dishon- 
our, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is 
raised in power ; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a 
spiritual body." 

18* 



210 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



Q,. 20. What do you understand by the bodies of be- 
lievers being raised incorruptible ? 

A. That they shall leave all the seeds of corruption be- 
hind them, in the grave ; and be for ever incapable of any 
pain, sickness, or death : that they shall have an everlast- 
ing youth and vigour, no more subject to the decays which 
age produces in this life, Isa. xxxiii. 24. 

Q. 21. Why are their bodies said to be glorious ? 

A. Because they shall " be fashioned like unto Christ's 
glorious body," Phil. iii. 21; not only beautiful, comely, and 
well proportioned, but full of splendour and brightness ; 
for they shall " shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of 
their Father," Matt. xiii. 43. 

Q,. 22. Why are they said to be powerful or strong 
bodies ? 

A. Because they shall be able to bear up, under an " ex- 
ceeding and eternal weight of glory," 2 Cor. iv. 17; and 
rest not day and night, but be, without intermission, for 
ever employed, in the heavenly temple, to sing and pro- 
claim the praises of God, Rev. iv. 8 ; weariness being a 
weakness incompetent to an immortal body. 

Q,. 23. In what respect will they be spiritual bodies'? 

A. Not in respect of their being changed into spirits, 
(for they shall still retain the essential properties of bodies,) 
but in respect of their spirit-like qualities and endow- 
ments : they shall be nimble and active, and of a most 
refined constitution ; for " they shall hunger no more, 
neither thirst any more ;" and they shall never sleep, " but 
serve him day and night in his temple," Rev. vi. 15, 16. 

Q,. 24. What will follow immediately upon the resurrec- 
tion of the dead ? 

A. {The day of judgment,] Rev. xx. 13. 

Q,. 25. What kind of a day will the day of judgment be? 

A. It will be a day of wrath and vengeance to the wick- 
ed, 2 Thess. i. 8, 9, but a day of complete redemption to 
the godly, Luke xxi. 28. 

Q,. 26. What will be the privilege of believers in the day 
of judgment 1 

A. They [shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted,] 
Matt. xxv. 23. 

Q,. 27. What is it to be [acknowledged] by Christ in that 
day] 

A. It is to be owned by him, as the blessed of his Father, 
for whom the kingdom of heaven is prepared, Matt. xxv. 
34 : " Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- 
pared for you from the foundation of the world." 

Q,. 28. What is it for believers to be [acquitted] in the 
day of judgment ? 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



211 



A. It is not only to be vindicated from all calumny and 
false aspersions cast upon them here, 1 Cor. iv. 5, but to 
have all their sins declaratively pardoned, Acts iii. 19. 

Q,. 29. What is the difference between the acquitting of 
believers, when they are justified in this life, and the doing 
of it in the day of judgment ? 

A. In this life, believers are acquitted secretly, out of the 
sight of the world, and frequently without any intimation 
of it to themselves ; but, then, the acquittal shall be pro- 
nounced in the most solemn and public manner. 

Q,. 30. Is not this what is meant by their being [openly] 
acknowledged and acquitted] 

A. Yes ; for it shall be done before God, angels, and 
men, Rev. iii. 5. Matt. xxv. 34 — 41. 

GL 31. Why will it be done so openly 1 

A. For the greater honour and comfort of the saints, 
and the greater shame and confusion of their enemies, 
Isa. lxvi. 5: " Your brethren that hated you, and cast you 
out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified ; 
but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be 
ashamed." 

Q,. 32. On what account shall they be acquitted in that 
day 1 

A. On the very same account they are justified here ; 
namely, for Christ's righteousness' sake, imputed to them, 
and received by faith alone, Rom. iii. 24. 

Q,. 33. What benefits shall believers receive after the 
day of judgment in heaven 1 

A. They shall be [made perfectly blessed in the full enjoy- 
ing of God to all eternity,] 1 Thess. iv. 17: " So shall we 
be ever with the Lord." 

Q,. 34. What is it to be [perfectly blessed ?] 

A. It is to be entirely free from all misery, and fully pos- 
sessed of all happiness, Rev. xxi. 4, 7. 

Q,. 35. In what does the highest pitch of happiness con- 
sist 1 

A. [In the full enjoying of God,] the chief good, Ps. 
lxxiii. 25. 

Q,. 36. In what way and manner will God be fully en- 
joyed in heaven 1 

A. By such a perfect knowledge of him as shall have 
no measure set to it except what arises from the finite 
capacity of the creature, 1 Cor. xiii. 12 ; for otherwise a 
creature's comprehensive knowledge of an infinite being 
is impossible, Job xi. 7. 

Q. 37. How many ways will God be perfectly and satis- 
factorily known 7 

A. Tivo ways ; the one is by sight, which will satisfy 
the understanding ; and the other is by experience, which 
will satisfy the will. 



212 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



Q,. 38. What is it that will give the greatest satisfaction 
to the bodily eyes in heaven 1 

A. A beholding that glorious and blessed body, which 
is united to the person of the Son of God, Job xix. 27. 

Q. 39. Will not the glory of the man Christ Jesus be un- 
speakably superior to the glory of all the saints 1 

A. Yes, surely ; for, though the saints shall shine forth 
as the sun, yet not they, but the Lamb, shall be the light 
of the heavenly city, Rev. xxi. 23. 

Q,. 40. What is it that will make the glory of the human 
nature of Christ, shine with a peculiar lustre, in the eyes 
of the saints 3 

A. It is the indissoluble subsistence of that nature in the 
person of the Son, as the everlasting bond of union be- 
tween God and them, John xv. 23 : "I in them, and thou 
in me, that they may be made perfect in one." 

Q,. 41. Is not the blissful sight of God in heaven, some- 
thing else than the sight of that glory, which we will see 
with our bodily eyes, in the man Christ, or in the saints, 
or any other splendour and refulgence from the Godhead 
whatsoever 1 

A. Yes ; for no created thing can be our chief good and 
happiness, nor fully satisfy our souls ; and as these things 
are somewhat different from God himself, so the scriptures 
assure us, that we shall see God, Matt. v. 8, and see him 
as he is, 1 John hi. 2. 

Q,. 42. How will the saints see God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, in heaven ? 

A. Not with their bodily eyes, in respect of which, God is 
invisible 1 Tim. i. 17; but with the eye of the understand- 
ing, being blessed with the most perfect, full, and clear 
knowledge of God and divine things, of which the creature 
is capable, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Q,. 43. What is the difference between believers seeing 
God here, and their seeing him there ? 

A. Here they have only a sight, as it were, of his back 
parts : but there they shall see his face, Rev. xxii. 4 ; it is 
but a passing view they can have of him here, but there 
they shall eternally, without interruption, feed the eyes of 
their souls upon him, Ps. xvii. 15: "As for me, I will be- 
hold thy face in righteousness : I shall be satisfied, when I 
awake, with thy likeness." 

Q,. 44. What will the eyes of the saints be eternally fed 
upon? 

A. They will be for ever contemplating his infinite love, 
his unchangeable truths, and wonderful works, with the 
utmost complacency and delight, Ps. xvi. 11: "In thy pre- 
sence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are plea- 
sures for evermore." 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



213 



Q,. 45. How will the saints in heaven contemplate the 
infinite love of God towards them 1 

A. They shall be admitted to look into his heart, and 
there have a clear, distinct, and assured view of the love 
he bore to them from eternity, and will bear to them for 
evermore ; for he has said, " I have loved thee with an 
everlasting love," Jer. xxxi. 3. " Enter thou into the joy 
of thy Lord," Matt. xxv. 23. 

Q,. 46. How will they contemplate God's unchangeable 
truths ? 

A. The light of glory will be a complete commentary on 
the Bible, and will disclose the whole treasure hid in that 
field, Ps. xxxvi. 9: "In thy light shall we see light." 

Q,. 47. Will there be any occasion for written or printed 
Bibles in heaven ] 

A. By no means, for the unchangeable truths of God, 
recorded in that holy book, will be indelibly stamped upon 
the minds of the redeemed company, as the subject of 
their everlasting song, Isa. lix. 21: " My words — shall not 
depart — out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the 
Lord, from henceforth and for ever." 1 Pet. i. 25: " The 
word of the Lord endureth for ever." 

Q,. 48. What comprehension will they have of the won- 
derful works of God, particularly of creation 1 

A. Their knowledge of all the creatures will then be 
brought to perfection, and they will see, that in wisdom he 
has made them all, Ps. cxlv. 24. 

Q,. 49. What views will they have of adorable provi- 
dence ? 

A. They will see the checkered web of providence spread 
out at its full length, and that there was a necessity for all 
the trials and troubles they met with in time, 1 Pet. i. 6. 

Q,. 50. How will the saints in heaven contemplate the 
glorious vjork of redemption ? 

A. It will be the matter of their eternal admiration ; 
they shall for ever and alternately wonder and praise, and 
praise and wonder, at the mysteries of wisdom and love, 
goodness and holiness, mercy and justice, that shine 
through the whole of that glorious device, Rev. i. 5, 6. 

Q,. 51. What is the experimental knowledge the saints 
shall enjoy of God in heaven ! 

A. It is the participation of the divine goodness in full 
measure, accompanied with a most lively sense of it in 
the innermost part of their souls, Rev. vii. 17 : " The Lamb 
shall lead them to living fountains of water ;" which are 
no other than God himself, " the fountain of living waters," 
who will fully and freely communicate himself to them. 

Q,. 52. In what respect will the communication of God, 
to the experience of the saints in heaven, be full ? 



214 



OF BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 



A. In as much as they shall not be limited to any mea- 
sure, but the enjoyment shall go as far as their most en- 
larged capacities can reach, Ps. lxxxi. 10. 

Q. 53. Will the capacities of the saints above be of equal 
size ? 

A. As there will he different degrees of glory, (the saints 
in heaven being compared to stars, which are of different 
magnitudes, Dan. xii. 3 ;) so, some capacities will contain 
more, and others less, yet all shall be filled, and have what 
they can hold, Ps. xvi. 11. 

Q,. 54. In what will consist the freedom of God's com- 
municating himself to the experience of the saints in 
heaven ? 

A. In the unrestrained familiarity which he will there 
allow them with himself ; he shall walk in them, 2 Cor. vi. 
16 ; his fulness shall ever stand open to them, there being 
no veil between him and them, to be drawn aside, for they 
shall see him face to face, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Q,. 55. What will be the result of the free communica- 
tion, and full participation of the divine goodness in the 
upper sanctuary] 

A. Perfect likeness to God, and unspeakable joy : hence 
says the Psalmist, " I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with 
thy likeness : — In thy presence is fulness of joy," Ps. xvii. 
15, and xvi. 11. 

Q. 56. Why will perfect likeness to God follow upon the 
beatific vision of him 1 

A. Because the seeing of God in all his matchless excel- 
lencies, no more " through a glass darkly, but face to face," 
cannot but be attended with a swallowing up of all the 
imperfections of the saints, into a glorious transformation 
to his blessed image, 1 John iii. 2 : " We shall be like him, 
for we shall see him as he is." 

Q,. 57. Why is the communication, and participation of 
God in heaven, accompanied with unspeakable joy ? 

A. Because of the undoubted certainty, and full assur- 
ance which the saints have of the eternal duration of the 
same : the enjoyment of God being always fresh and new 
to them, through the ages of eternity ; for they shall drink 
of living fountains of waters continually springing up in 
abundance, Rev. vii. 17. 

Q,. 58. Why will the saints in heaven have an undoubted 
certainty of their full enjoyment of God to all eternity 1 

A. Because the everlasting GOD himself will be their 
eternal life and happiness, 1 John v. 20 : " This is the true 
God and eternal life." Isa. lx. 19 : " The Lord shall be un- 
to thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." 
Hence it is said of heaven, that " the glory of God doth 
lighten it f and that the Lamb is the light thereof, Rev. 
xxi. 23. 



OP BENEFITS AT THE RESURRECTION. 215 

Q,. 59. What improvement ought we to make of these 
benefits which believers receive from Christ at the resur- 
rection 1 

A. We should " be diligent, that we may be found of 
him in peace, without spot, and blameless," 2 Pet. iii. 14 ; 
and occupy the talents he has given us, until he come, 
Luke xix. 13; we should "judge ourselves, that we may 
not be judged," 1 Cor. xi. 31; and because "the end of all 
things is at hand," we should " therefore be sober, and 
watch unto prayer," 2 Pet. iv. 17; yea, we should "hope 
to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto us at 
the revelation of Jesus Christ," chap. i. 13. 



END OF PART FIRST. 



THE 

WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY'S 

SHORTER CATECHISM 

EXPLAINED, 

BY WAY OF 

QUESTION AND ANSWER. 



PART II. 



OF THE DUTY WHICH GOD REQUffiES OF MAN. 



1 Hold fast the form of sound words."— 2 Tim. i. 13. 



PREFACE. 



This second part of the Assembles Shorter Catechism 
explained, through various impediments, was not published, 
till about seven years after the first ; which is the reason 
why theie is an edition more of the first than of the 
second part. 

In the Preface to the first part of this work, subscribed 
by the Rev. Mr. Ebenezer Erskine and me, the useful- 
ness of sound standards of public authority, together with 
the divine warrant for such composures, is briefly set forth ; 
as likewise a short account of the method, which the 
Westminster Assembly most judiciously observe, in this 
compendious, and almost incomparable system of divinity, 
The Shorter Catechism. 

Both these eminent lights, the Rev. Messrs. Ebenezer 
and Ralph Erskine, who assisted in composing and 
revising the first part of this Catechism, are some years 
ago removed to the upper sanctuary by death ; the first 
soon after,* and the second, a little before the publishing 
of it :f so that the charge of this second part was, by a 

* The Rev. Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, minister of the gospel, first at 
Portmoak, and then at Stirling, died June 2d, 1754, in the 74th year 
of his age, and fifty-first of his ministry. — There were what amounted 
to four octavo volumes of excellent sermons, published in his own 
lifetime, and a fifth after his death. 

t The Rev. Mr. Ralph Erskine, minister of the gospel at Dun- 
fermline, died Nov. 6th, 1752, in the 68 year of his age, and forty- 
second of his ministry in that place. 

He published several polemical treatises on various subjects ; but 
his practical works, both in prose and verse, were first collected into 
two large folio volumes, and elegantly printed. They are now 

iii 



iv 



PREFACE. 



renewed recommendation of my brethren, laid upon me. 
They, indeed, promised to afford me materials, which 
some of them did ; and I made all the use of them I 
could. 

This performance, such as it is, was never judicially 
read and approved by any of our judicatories, (though 
several of my brethren had opportunity to peruse the 
most part of it, before the whole was issued ;) therefore, 
any imperfections or weaknesses that may be found therein, 
are not to be imputed to the body of ministers, with whom 
I am, in providence, connected, but to myself only. 

As to mistakes in divinity, I dare not say there are 
none ; but, if there are, I may be confident to affirm, there 
were none designed. 

In this edition, there are several questions added which 
were not in the former ; particularly, on the ceremonial 
law, which was the typical gospel of the Jews ; and 
others are altered and corrected, in the plainest way I 
could devise. 

The words of the Shorter Catechism from which the 
explicatory questions are formed, are enclosed within 
brackets, as is done in the first part, to distinguish them 
from quotations out of the Confession and Larger 
Catechism, of which there are several, in both parts of 
this treatise : and the scripture proofs are now ranged in 
such an order, as the reader may see, at first view, the 
branch of the answer each of them is designed to 
confirm. 

It has been acknowledged in all ages, that the cateclieU 
ical way of instructing is the most speedy and successful 
method of conveying the knowledge of divine things ; 
because thereby the truths of God are brought level to the 
weakest capacity, being separately proposed one after 

reprinted in ten handsome volumes octavo, with sundry additional 
sermons and discourses, not in the folio volumes ; to which is pre- 
fixed an Account of the Author's Life and Writings ; with an elegiac 
Poem on his death, not in the folio edition. 



PREFACE. 



another, with plain and distinct answers to each. If 
people then would be at the pains carefully to peruse, par- 
ticularly on Sabbath evenings, the helps that have been 
offered for understanding their Catechism, they would 
soon have the experience of attaining some tolerable in- 
sight into the leading principles of the Christian religion ; 
and by that means hear the word preached with more 
spiritual benefit to their own souls ; and likewise be 
capable to distinguish truth from error, in many of the 
practical books that are among their hands : for, the first 
principles of the oracles of God ought to be learned in 
the first place, and when the knowledge of these is once 
attained, a patent door will be opened to farther improve- 
ments ; whereas, if the foundation is not laid, it is need- 
less to dream of carrying up the fabric. And, indeed, 
herein lies the fatal mistake of the most part, of people, 
that though they can scarce repeat, far less understand 
their Catechism, yet they imagine they may read any 
other divine subject that comes into their hands with 
advantage ; while on the contrary, the understanding of 
their Catechism, in the first place, would be the most 
effectual and successful mean for their profiting by 
what they might read or hear, during the whole remain- 
der of their life. 



JAMES FISHER. 



Glasgow, 
May 3d, 1765. 



1* 



THE 



SHORTER CATECHISM EXPLAINED. 

PART SECOND. 



Quest. 39. What is the duty which God requires of 
manl 

Ans. The duty which God requires of man, is obe- 
dience to his revealed will. 

Q. 1. Why are the principles of faith, in the Shorter 
Catechism, treated of, before duties of obedience ! 

A. To show, that man's duty cannot be rightly perform- 
ed, unless it flow from a belief of these principles, as the 
root and spring of it, Heb. xi. 6. 

Q,. 2. What do you understand by man's [duty 1] 

A. That which he owes to God, out of love and grati- 
tude, Luke xvii. 10. 

Q.. 3. What is it that man thus owes to God % 

A. Constant and universal [obedience,] 1 Sam. xv. 22. 

Q,. 4. From whence does our obligation of obedience to 
God arise 1 

A. From his universal supremacy, and sovereign au- 
thority over us, as rational creatures, Lev. xviii. 5, who 
depend entirely upon him, for our life, and breath, and all 
things, Acts xvii. 25. 

Q,. 5. What motive or excitement have Christians, above 
others, to the duties of obedience 1 

A. They have the revelation of God's free love, mercy, 
and grace in Christ, bringing salvation to them, which 
should teach them to live soberly, rigtyeously, and godly, 
in this present world, Tit. ii. 11, 12. 

Q,. 6. What is the only rule and measure of our obe- 
dience ! 

A. The [revealed will] of God, Isa. viii. 20. 
Q. 7. Why is our obedience limited to God's revealed 
will? 

A. Because it is necessary that God should signify to 
us, in what instances he will be obeyed, and the manner 
how our obedience is to be performed; otherwise, it 



8 



OF THE DUTY OF MAN. 



would rather be a fulfilling of our own will than his, Mic. 
vi. 8. 

Q,. 8. Where has God revealed his will, as the rule and 
measure of our obedience ? 

A. In the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, 
2 Tim. hi. 16. 

Q,. 9. What is the difference between God's secret and 
revealed will ] 

A. His secret will is reserved to himself, as the rule of 
his own procedure ; but his revealed will is made known 
to us, as the rule of our faith and obedience, Deut. xxix. 
29 : " The secret things belong unto the Lord our God ; 
but those things which are revealed belong unto us, and 
to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of 
this law." 

Q,. 10. Is it not agreeable to the revealed will of God 
that we give obedience to the just commands of our law- 
ful superiors ? 

A. Yes ; for thus we are commanded, 1 Pet. ii. 13 : 
" Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, for the 
Lord's sake." 

Q,. 11. What is the difference between the obedience we 
should yield to God, and that which we should give to 
our lawful superiors ? 

A. We should obey God for himself, or out of regard to 
his own authority, as the very ground and reason of our 
obedience ; but we should obey our superiors, only in the 
Lord ; or, as their commands are agreeable to his will, 
Eph. vi. 1: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for 
this is right." 

Q,. 12. What is our duty, when the commands of su- 
periors are contrary to the commands of God 1 

A. In that case, we ought, without the least hesitation, 
to obey God rather than men, Acts v. 29. Dan. iii. 18. 

Q,. 13. Why ought God to be obeyed rather than men, 
when their commands are opposite 1 

A. Because, " God alone is the Lord of the conscience, 
James, iv. 12, and has left it free from the doctrines and 
commandments of men, which are in any thing contrary 
to his word," Acts iv. 19.* 

Q,. 14. What is the nature of that obedience which is ac- 
ceptable to God 1 

A. It is such as flows from a vital union with Christ, 
and faith in him, as the principle of it, John xv. 4, 5 ; is 
performed in a due manner, Ps. v. 7; and aims at the glory 
of God, as its highest and ultimate end, 1 Cor. x. 31. 

Q,. 15. What encouragement does God give us to essay 
a universal obedience to his revealed will 7 

* Confession of Faith, chap. xx. $ 2. 



OF THE MORAL LAW. 



9 



A. That he requires nothing of us in point of duty, but 
what he promises strength and furniture for the perform- 
ance of, Ezek. xxxvi. 27: " I will — cause you to walk in 
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do 
them." 



Quest. 40. What did God at first reveal to man, for 
the rule of his obedience ? 

Ans. The rule which God at first revealed to man for 
his obedience, was the moral law. 

Q,. 1. How are the laws of God distinguished ] 
A. Into natural and positive. 

Q,. 2. What is the law of God natural, or the law of 
nature 1 

A. It is that necessary unalterable rule of right and 
wrong, founded in the infinitely holy and just nature of 
God, to which men, as reasonable creatures, cannot but 
be indispensably bound, Rom. ii. 14, 15. 

Q,. 3 What do you understand by positive laws I 

A. Such institutions as depend only upon the sovereign 
will and pleasure of God, and which he might not have 
enjoined, and yet his nature remain the same ; such as, 
the command about not eating the forbidden fruit, and all 
the ceremonial precepts under the old dispensation. 

Q,. 4. Where were the dictates of the law of nature 
originally inscribed ? 

A. A fair copy of them was originally written upon the 
heart or mind of man at his creation; because he was 
made after the image of God, Gen. i. 27. 

Q,. 5. Do these dictates become just and reasonable, 
because they are commanded ; or, are they commanded, 
because they are just and reasonable in their own nature 
before 1 

A. They are commanded, because they are just and 
reasonable in their own nature, antecedently to any di- 
vine precept about them, being founded in the very holi- 
ness and wisdom of God, Ps. cxi. 7, 8. 

Q,. 6. Did the dictates of the law of nature undergo any 
change or alteration in the mind of man, after the fall ? 

A. The law of nature, being the natural instinct of the 
reasonable creature, implanted in the soul by God him- 
self, can never be totally erased or obliterated, as to its 
common and general principles, and immediate conclu- 
sions flowing from them ; though, with reference to such 
native consequences as are more remote, it is grossly cor- 



10 



OF THE MORAL LAW. 



rupted, and even altered and perverted, by the vicious 
and depraved nature of man, Rom. i. 21, 22. 

Q. 7. What are the common and general principles of 
the law of nature, which are still engraved, in some 
measure, upon the minds of men, even where they have 
no written law 1 

A. They are such as these; that God is to be wor- 
shipped : parents to be honoured : none are to be injured : 
that we should not do to others, what we would not wish 
them to do to us ; and the like. 

Q,. 8. How do you prove that these, and the like princi- 
ples, are still ingrained in man's nature, even where there 
is no written law ? 

A. From Rom. ii. 14 : " The gentiles, which have not the 
law," namely, the written law, " do by nature the things 
contained in the law." 

Q,. 9. How does it appear from men's own consciences, 
that they have innate principles of right and wrong im- 
planted in their natures ) 

A. From their consciences excusing or accusing them, 
as they commit actions manifestly agreeable or disagree- 
able to these innate or inbred principles, Rom. ii. 15. 

Q,. 10. What are the horrid, though native, conse- 
quences, of denying innate principles of right and wrong } 

A. The denial of this saps the foundation of all religion, 
natural and revealed; subverts all difference between 
moral good and evil; and, consequently, opens a wide 
door to gross and downright atheism. 

Q,. 11. Is there any difference between the law of nature 
and the moral law 7 

A. Although the same duties which are contained in the 
law of nature, are prescribed also in the moral law, yet 
there is this difference, that in the law of nature, there is 
nothing but what is moral ; but in the moral law there is 
something also that is positive, namely, the means of wor- 
ship, and circumscribing the particular day for the ob- 
servance of the Sabbath. 

Q, 12. What is the meaning of the word [moral,] when 
applied to the law ] 

A. Though the word literally has a respect to the man- 
ners of men, yet, when applied to the law, it signifies that 
which is perpetually binding, in opposition to that which 
is binding only for a time. 

Q,. 1 3. Was there any express revelation of the moral 
law made to Adam in his state of innocence ] 

A. He needed no express revelation of this, because it 
was interwoven with his very nature in his creation after 
the image of God, Eccl. vii. 9 : God made man upright. 

Q,. 14^ W r hy then is it said in the answer, that the moral 
law was [the rule which God at first revealed to man 1] 



OF THE MORAL LAW. 



11 



A. Because it was so distinctly written in his heart, and 
impressed in his nature, that it was equal to an express 
revelation. 

15. Is the moral law to be viewed only as the rule 
of our obedience \ 

A. It must be viewed also as the reason of it. We must 
not only do what is commanded, and avoid what is for- 
bidden in the law ; but we must also do good, for this very 
reason, that God requires it, and avoid evil, because he 
forbids it, Lev. xviii. 4, 5 : " I am the Lord your God, ye 
shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments." 

Q,. 16. Are the precepts of the moral law of immutable 
obligation, so as that they can be dispensed with in no 
case 7 

A. With respect to God, those precepts which do not 
flow absolutely and immediately from his own nature, 
may, in certain particular cases, be altered or changed, 
provided it be done by his own express appointment ; but 
with respect to man, all the precepts of the moral law are 
of immutable obligation, and none of them can in any 
instance be dispensed with by him, Matt. v. 18. 

Q,. 17. Did not God dispense with the law against man- 
slaughter, when he commanded Abraham to offer his only 
son Isaac for a burnt-offering, upon one of the mountains 
in the land of Moriah, which he was to tell him of] Gen. 
xxii. 2. 

A. Though Abraham, it would seem, looked upon this 
mysterious command of his sovereign Lord, to be per- 
emptory, in as much as he immediately took journey 
with his son, to put the divine order into execution ; yet 
in the issue it proved only to be probatory, to discover to 
Abraham himself the reality of his faith, and the submis- 
siveness of his obedience to God, as flowing from it, ver. 
12, 16, 17. 

Q. 18. Would Abraham have been guilty of murder, had 
he been permitted to sacrifice his son, on this occasion 7 

A. No ; because he had the warrant of the most un- 
questionable authority, even the authority of the Lord, 
the Creator of the ends of the earth, for so doing, ver. 2. 

Q,. 19. Is the moral law a perfect rule of life and man- 
ners'? 

A. It is so perfect that nothing can be superadded to it, 
or corrected in it, Ps. xix. 7 : " The law of the Lord is 
perfect." 

Q. 20. Did Christ supply any defects of the law, or cor- 
rect any mistakes in it 1 

A. No ; he acted the part of an interpreter and defender 
of the law, but not of a new lawgiver; as is evident from 
his explaining the law, and vindicating it (Matt, chapters 



12 



OF THE MORAL LAW. 



v. vi. and vii.) from the corrupt glosses that were put 
upon it. 

Q,. 21. Did not Christ say, John xiii. 34, "A new com- 
mandment I give unto you, that ye love one another f 

A. This commandment was not new as to the substance 
of it, for it is the sum of the second table of the la w, Matt, 
xxii. 39 ; and therefore called an old commandment, which 
we had from the beginning, 1 John ii. 7, 2 John ver. 5; 
but it is called new, because it was enforced with the new 
motive and example of Christ's unparalleled love to us, 
imported in the words immediately following : " As I have 
loved you, that ye also love one another." 

Q,. 22. Is the moral law abrogated under the New Tes- 
tament 1 

A. By no means ; for Christ came not to destroy the 
law, but to fulfil it, Matt. v. 17. 

23. Can righteousness and life be attained by the 
moral law, since the fall? 

A. No ; for, " by the works of the law, shall no flesh be 
justified," Gal. ii. 16. 

Q,. 24. Of what use, then, is the law to men, since right- 
eousness and life cannot be attained by it? 

A. It is, notwithstanding, of much use, both to unregen- 
erate sinners and to saints"; " for the law is good, if a man 
use it lawfully," 1 Tim. i. 8 ; that is, in a suitableness to 
the state in which he is, either as a believer or unbeliever. 

Q,. 25. Of what use is the law, to unbelievers, or to un- 
regenerate sinners ] 

A. It is useful to discover to them their utter impotence 
and inability to attain justification and salvation by the 
works of it ; and thus it is a schoolmaster to bring them 
to Christ, that they may be justified by faith, Gal. iii. 24. * 

Q. 26. How is the law a schoolmaster to bring sinners 
to Christ] 

A. By requiring spotless holiness of nature ; perfect, 
personal, and perpetual obedience in this life; and full 
satisfaction for sin : which none of mankind being capable 
of, they are thus shut up to see the need they stand in of 
Christ, who has done all these things for them ; " for Christ 
is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that 
believeth," Rom. x. 4. 

Q,. 27. Has the law this effect upon all the unregenerate? 

A. No ; the most part of them remain deaf to the dic- 
tates of the law, both as to their sin and danger, and are 
therefore rendered inexcusable, Rom. i. 20. 

Q,. 28. Of what use is the law to the regenerate, or to 
believers 1 

A. It is of use to excite them to express their gratitude 



* Larger Catechism, Q. 96. 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



13 



and thankfulness to Christ for his fulfilling it as a cove- 
nant, Rom. viii. 3, 4 ; by their studying conformity to it, 
both in their hearts and lives, as the rule of their obedi- 
ence, Rom. vii. 22, and xii. 2. * 

Q,. 29. How can the moral law be the rule of obedience 
to believers, when it is said of them, Rom. vi. 14, that they 
are not under the law 1 

A. Though they are not under the law as a covenant 
of works, to be either justified or condemned by it, yet 
they are under it as a rule of duty, and account it their hap- 
piness and privilege to be so, 1 Cor. ix. 21. 

Q. 30. What may we learn from the nature of the moral 
law in general 1 

A. That God having so clearly pointed out his own na- 
ture, and in a manner expressed his very image in it, Lev. 
xix. 2, we ought to loathe and abhor ourselves for our 
want of conformity to it, and our innumerable transgres- 
sions of it, Ps. xl. 12 ; and fly to the Lord Jesus, that by 
his righteousness imputed, the righteousness of the law 
may be fulfilled in us, Rom. viii. 3, 4. 

Q,. 31. What other laws did God give to the Jews, be- 
sides the moral law 1 

A. He gave them also the ceremonial and judicial 
laws. 

Q,. 32. What was the ceremonial law 1 

A. It was a system of positive precepts, respecting the 
external worship of God in the Old Testament church ; 
chiefly designed to typify Christ, as then to come, and 
to lead them to the knowledge of the way of salvation 
through him, Heb. x. 1. 

Q,. 33. What were the principal ceremonies about which 
this law was conversant 1 

A. They were such as respected sacred persons, places, 
and things. 

Q. 34. Who was the chief sacred person among the 
Jews 1 

A. The high priest, who was ordained for men in things 
pertaining to God, Heb. v. 1. 

Q. 35. In what respect was he a type of Christ? 

A. His being consecrated with a plentiful effusion of the 
holy anointing oil, typified the immeasurable communica- 
tion of the Spirit to Christ, Ps. cxxxiii. 2, John iii. 34 ; and 
his bearing the names of the children of Israel upon his 
shoulder, and in the breast-plate, signified that Christ is 
the representative of all his spiritual seed, and has their 
concerns continually at heart, Isa. xlix. 3, 16. 

Q,. 36. Were not the other ordinary priests of Aaron's 
family likewise types of Christ 1 

* Larger Catechism, Q. 97. 

Part II— 2 



14 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



A. Yes ; for in as much as they daily offered sacrifices 
according to the law, Heb. x. 11, they were typical of 
him, who "now once in the end of the world, hath ap- 
peared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself," chap, 
ix. 26; 

ft. 37. What were the sacred places under the old dis- 
pensation ? 

A. The tabernacle and temple, 
ft. 38. What was the tabernacle 1 

A. It was a movable and portable tent, secured from 
the injuries of the weather, by several coverings ; the 
whole planned by God himself, and executed by Moses in 
the wilderness, precisely according to the pattern showed 
him on the mount, Heb. viii. 5. 

ft. 39. How was it enclosed ] 

A. By a large or spacious court, open above, but hung 
round with curtains of fine twined linen, five cubits, or 
seven and a half feet high, Ex. xxvii. 18. 

ft. 40. When and w T here w T as the temple built 1 
A. It was built by Solomon, at Jerusalem, on Mount 
Moriah, four hundred and eighty years after the children 
of Israel came out of Egypt ; and, consequently, about the 
same number of years after the tabernacle was set up in 
the wilderness, 1 Kings vi. 1, compared with 2 Chron. 
iii. 1. 

Q. 41. Was the plan of the temple the contrivance of 
human skill 1 

A. No ; like the tabernacle, it was devised by God him- 
self ; for David gave to Solomon, his son, the pattern of 
the whole of it, as he had it, by the Spirit, 1 Chron. xxviii. 
11, 12. And after enumerating several particular parts 
of the model, "All this, said David, the Lord made me 
understand in writing by his hand upon me, even air the 
works of this pattern," verse 19. 

ft. 42. What did the tabernacle and temple typify? 

A. Among other things, they both of them typified the 
human nature of Christ, which was assumed into union 
with his divine person, John ii. 19, 21. 

ft. 43. How many apartments were there, in these sa- 
cred places ? 

A. Besides the large outward court, to wmich any of all 
Israel had access, who were not ceremonially unclean, 
there were, both in the tabernacle and temple, two sacred 
apartments; the first, called the holy, and the second, the 
most holy place, separated by an embroidered veil of 
cunning work, Ex. xxvi. 31 — 34. 
ft. 44. What did these several apartments signify 1 
A. The outward court might signify the church visible, 
consisting in a mixture of saints and sinners; the holy- 
place, the church invisible on earth, made up only of the 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



15 



true members of Christ's mystical body ; and the holiest 
of all represented heaven itself, or the church triumphant 
in glory. 

Q,. 45. What were the sacred things, in the outward 
court, which was before the tabernacle 1 

A. They were these three ; the laver, the sacrifices, and 
the altar on which they w T ere offered. 

Q,. 46. What was the laver 1 

A. It was a brazen vessel for holding water, made of 
the mirrors, or polished pieces of brass, presented by the 
women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of 
the congregation, Ex. xxxviii. 8. 

Q,. 477 Where was it situated 1 

A. Between the tabernacle of the congregation and the 
altar, Ex. xxx. 18. 
Q,. 48. Why was it placed there I 

A. That Aaron and his sons might wash their hands 
and their feet thereat, when they went into the tabernacle, 
or when they came near to the altar to minister, under no 
less penalty than death, verse 19 — 21. 

Q,. 49. Why was this ordinance of the priest's washing 
at the laver, enjoined under so severe a penalty ? 

A. To point out the absolute necessity of the applica- 
tion of the blood and Spirit of Christ to the soul, as that 
without which there can be no escaping of eternal death, 
1 John i. 7, compared with Rom. vi. 23. 

Q,. 50. What was the subject matter of the sacrifices ? 

A. Such of the clean beasts and fowls, specified by God 
himself, as were perfectly free of any blemish or imperfec- 
tion, Lev. xxii. 20. 

Q. 51. What was signified by the sacrifices being with- 
out blemish ? 

A. The spotless holiness and purity of the human na- 
ture of Christ, which w T as sacrificed for us, 1 Pet. i. 19. 

Q,. 52. What were the instructive ceremonies that were 
used in expiatory sacrifices or burnt-offerings I 

A. The sins of the offerers were to be typically laid upon 
the head of the sacrifice, Lev. i. 4 ; next, it was to be slain 
by blood-shedding, ver. 5 ; and then, it was to be consumed 
wholly, or in part, with fire upon the altar, ver. 9. 

Q,. 53. What was signified, by charging the sins of the 
offerers upon the head of the sacrifice 1 

A. That the sins of an elect world w r ere laid on Christ, 
to be expiated by him, Isa. liii. 6. 

Q,. 54. What was typified, by shedding the blood of the 
sacrifice unto death ? 

A. That the blood of Christ was to be shed for many, 
for the remission of sins, Matt. xxvi. 28. 

Q,. 55. What was signified, by consuming the sacrifice 
with fire upon the altar ! 



16 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



A. That the whole of that infinite wrath, which was due 
to sinners, and would have been consuming them for ever, 
w^as poured out upon the glorious Surety, and endured by 
him, Isa. liii. 10. 

Q,. 56. Upon what altar were the sacrifices offered and 
consumed ? 

A. Upon the brazen altar, or altar of burnt-offerings, 
which was placed without, before the door of the taber- 
nacle of the congregation, Ex. xl. 6 ; intimating, that the 
sacrifice of Christ, was to be perfected on this earth, John 
xix. 30. 

Q,. 57. What was typified by this altar ! 

A. As the altar sanctifieth the gift, Matt, xxiii. 19, so this 
altar typified the divine nature of Christ, as giving infinite 
worth and value to the sacrifice of the human nature, be- 
cause of the personal union, Heb. ix. 14. 

Q,. 58. From whence originally came the fire, winch was 
kept burning on the altar of burnt-offering 7 

A. It came originally and immediately from God him- 
self ; for when Moses was dedicating the tabernacle in the 
wilderness, there came a fire out from before the Lord, 
and consumed, upon the altar, the burnt offering, and the 
fat, Lev. ix. 24. And afterwards at the dedication of Solo- 
mon's temple, when he had made an end of praying, the 
fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt- 
offering and the sacrifices, 2 Chron. vii. 1. 

Q,. 59. What was signified by this fire coming imme- 
diately from before the Lord, or from heaven 1 

A. It signified God's acceptance of, and acquiescence in, 
the obedience unto death of his own eternal Son, typified 
by all these expiatory sacrifices, Isa. xlii. 21. 

Q,. 60. Why was the fire never to go out, but to be kept 
ever burning upon the altar 1 Lev. vi. 13. 

A. To show that it was not possible that the blood of 
bulls and goats could take away sin, Heb. x. 4 ; and 
therefore to teach the people, under that dispensation, to 
look to the atoning blood of the Messiah, as that only 
which could quench the flame of divine wrath against sin, 
and be an offering and sacrifice to God, for a sweet smell- 
ing savour, Eph. v. 2, in which he might eternally rest. 

Q. 61. What were the sacred things in the holy place, 
called the first tabernacle 3 Heb. ix. 2. 

A. They were the candlestick, the table with the shew- 
bread, and the altar of incense. 

Q,. 62. What was typified by the candlestick ? 

A. That all true spiritual light is conveyed to the church 
only from Christ, John i. 9, 18; and that, as the branches 
were supplied with oil from the body of the candlestick, 
so all the members are supplied out of the fulness of Christ ; 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



17 



for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him, chap, 
iii. 34. 

Q,. 63. What was meant by the sheiv -bread, which was 
always set forth upon the table ? Ex. xxv. 30. 

A. That in Christ, who is the bread of life, there is food 
continually for starving sinners of mankind, John vi. 35 ; 
and that we may ever come to him for supply, because, 
" in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," 
Col. ii. 9. 

Ql. 64. What was typified by the altar of incense, which 
was placed immediately before the veil ? Ex. xxx. 6. 

A. The incense which was continually burnt upon this 
altar, every morning and evening, Ex. xxx. 7, 8, (after the 
sacrifices were offered without, upon the altar of burnt- 
offering,) typified the prevalent intercession of Christ, 
founded upon his meritorious oblation, 1 John ii. I, 2. 

Q,. 65. What were the sacred and significant things 
contained in the most holy place, or holiest of all, as it is 
called? Heb. ix. 3. 

A. The apostle to the Hebrews says, that the tabernacle 
which is called the holiest of all, — had the golden censer, 
and the ark of the covenant, overlaid round about with 
gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and 
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant ; 
and over it the cherubims of glory, shadowing the mercy- 
seat, Heb. ix. 4, 5. 

Q,. 66. Did the golden censer, like other sacred utensils 
in the most holy place, remain in it perpetually ) 

A No ; it remained no longer than the high priest con- 
tinued within the veil, sprinkling the blood of the sin-offer- 
ing upon the mercy seat, and before it, Lev. xvi. 14, during 
which time the cloud of incense, kindled with coals of fire 
from the altar 'of burnt-offering covered the mercy-seat, 
ver. 13, 14; and then, when the high priest retired from 
the most holy place, he carried off the golden censer with 
him to the altar of incense, where it lay till there was next 
occasion for it. 

Q,. 67. Why then was the holiest of all said to have the 
golden censer 1 

A. Because the principal use of it, was to carry in burn- 
ing incense to the most holy place, along with the blood of 
the sacrifice on the great day of atonement, once every 
year, Lev. xvi. 12, 13. 

Q. 68. What was typified by this cloud of incense car- 
ried in by the high priest to the most holy place, along 
with the blood of the sacrifice once a year 1 

A. The infallible pre valency of Christ's intercession, be- 
cause of the infinite merit of his satisfaction, Heb. 
vii. 25. 

2* 



18 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



ft. 69. What was the most eminent pledge of the divine 
presence, in this most holy place ? 

A. The ark with the mercy-seat that covered it, Ex. xxv. 
21, 22 : " Thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the 
ark — and there will I meet with thee, and I will commune 
with thee." 

ft. 70. What was put within the ark ? 

A. Nothing but the two tables of stone, on which the 
ten commandments were written by the finger of God at 
Mount Sinai, 1 Kings viii. 9. There was nothing in the 
ark, save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there 
at Horeb. 

ft. 71. Were not the golden pot that had manna, and 
Aaron's rod that budded, put within the ark, as it would 
seem from Heb. ix. 4 1 

A. No : it is expressly said, that both these were appoint- 
ed to be laid up before the testimony, not in it, Ex. xvi. 
34, and Num. xvii. 10. 

ft. 72. What did the golden pot that had manna sig- 
nify? 

A. The inexhaustible provision of all spiritual blessings 

laid up in Christ, for the members of his mystical body, 

John vi. 54, 55. 

ft. 73. What was typified by Aaron's rod that budded I 
A. The fixed choice that God had made of Christ, to the 

office of priesthood, he being called of God, as was Aaron, 

Heb. v. 4. 

ft. 74. For what end was the ark of the covenant prop- 
erly made 1 

A. It was for holding the two tables of the law, which 
are called the testimony, Ex. xxv. 16. Says God to Moses, 
" Thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall 
give thee." 

ft. 75. Why were the tables of the law called the two 
tables of testimony? Ex. xxxi. 18. 

A. Because they testified the will of God to mankind as 
the unerring rule of duty, Isa. viii. 20. 

ft. 76. Why were these tables put into the ark 1 

A. To signify that the law, which was broken by the 
first Adam, was put up, as fulfilled in the second, Isa. xlii. 
21, that there might be "no condemnation to them which 
are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1. 

ft. 77. Why were these tables called the tables of the 
covenant, and the ark containing them, the ark of the cov- 
enant 1 Heb. ix. 4. 

A. Because the ten commandments, written on these 
tables, were the matter of the covenant of works made 
with Adam, as the head of his posterity, Rom. x. 5; 
and the fulfilment of them, both in point of doing and suffer- 
ing, was the condition of the covenant of grace, made 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



19 



with Christ, as the representative of his spiritual seed, 
Matt. iii. 15. 
Q,. 78. What was the mercy-seat 1 

A. It was a plate of solid gold, exactly fitted to the 
breadth and length of the ark, (Ex. xxv. ver. 10 and 17, 
compared,) so as to be a lid, or covering to the tables of 
the covenant, which were within it, ver. 21. 
Q,. 79. Why was it called the mercy-seat 1 
A. To intimate, that God is propitious and merciful to 
sinners, only through the meritorious satisfaction of Christ, 
Rom. v. 21. 

Q,. 80. What was signified by its being a lid, or covering, 
to the tables of the covenant ] 

A. That the broken law was so hid or covered by the 
glorious Surety, who answered all its demands, (Rom. 
viii. 33, 34,) that it could accuse none before God, who had 
44 fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them," 
Heb. vi. 18. 

Q,. 81. What was it that peculiarly belonged to the 
mercy-seat 1 

A. The " cherubims of glory shadowing it," Heb. ix. 5. 

Q,. 82. What was represented by these cherubims ? 

A. They represented the ministry and service of the 
holy angels to Christ and his church, Heb. i. 14. 

Q,. 83. Why called cherubims of glory 1 

A. Because God manifested his glory from between 
them, Ex. xxv. 22, and gave gracious answers with re- 
spect to his church and people, Num. vii. 89. 

Q,. 84. How did they shadow the mercy-seat 1 

A. By stretching forth and spreading their wings over 
it, intimating their readiness to fly upon Christ's errands 
on all occasions, Ps. civ. 4. 

Q,. 85. In what posture were the faces of these cheru- 
bims 1 

A. They looked one to another, and towards the mercy- 
seat, Ex. xxv. 20. - 
Q,. 86. What did this posture of their faces signify 
A. Their looking one to another, signified their perfect 
harmony in serving the interests of Christ's kingdom, 
Ezek. i. 20; and their looking towards the mercy-seat, 
signified their desire to look, with the most profound vene- 
ration and wonder, into the adorable mystery of redeem- 
ing love, 1 Pet. i. 12 : 44 Which things the angels desire to 
look into." 

Q,. 87. Who was allowed to enter into this most holy 
place 1 

A. The high priest alone, without any to attend or assist 
him. Lev. xvi. 17; and in this he was an eminent type of 
Christ, who has the whole work of redemption laid upon 



20 



OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW. 



his shoulders, * And of the people there was none with 
him," Isa. lxiii. 3. 

Q,. 88. When did the high priest enter into the holiest 
of all] 

A. Only once every year ; namely, on the great day of 
atonement, which was appointed to be a solemn anni- 
versary fast, under that ceremonial dispensation, Lev. 
xvi. 29, 30. 

Q. 89, In what manner did the high priest enter within 
the veil ! 

A. He was expressly required to carry along with him 
the blood of the sacrifice, slain without the tabernacle, at 
the altar of burnt-offering, and the golden censer full of 
burning incense; without both which, he might by no 
means enter within the most holy place, Lev. xvi. 12 — 16. 

Q. 90. What was typified by this solemnity 1 

A. It typified the perpetual efficacy of the blood of 
Christ in heaven, for all the blessings and benefits for 
which it was shed on earth, Heb. xii. 24. 

Q. 91. Is the ceremonial law, or any part of it, obligatory 
now, under the New Testament 1 

A. Although the divine truths, couched and signified 
under the ceremonies of God's own institution, be un- 
changeably the same, yet the observance of the cere- 
monies themselves is abrogated by the death and satisfac- 
tion of Christ, in whom they had their full accomplishment, 
John i. 17. 

Q,. 92. How do you prove that the ceremonial law was 
abolished by the death and satisfaction of Christ i 

A. From the utter destruction, many ages since, of the 
temple at Jerusalem, where only it was lawful to offer 
sacrifices ; which adorable Providence would never have 
permitted, if these ceremonial institutions had been in- 
tended to subsist after the death of Christ, of whom it was 
foretold that he should " cause the sacrifice and the obla- 
tion to cease," Dan. ix. 27. See also Jer. iii. 16 : " In those 
days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of 
the covenant of the Lord ; neither shall it come to mind, 
neither shall they remember it, neither shall they visit it, 
neither shall that be done any more." 

Q. 93. What may we learn from the whole of this typical 
dispensation ? 

A. That as the ceremonial law was a shadow of good 
things to come, Heb. x. 1, so it is a perpetual evidence of 
the faithfulness and power of God, in the full accomplish- 
ment of all the blessings that were prefigured by it, John 
i. 17. 

94. What was the judicial law \ 
A. It was that body of laws given by God, for the go- 



OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



21 



vernment of the Jews, partly founded in the law of nature, 
and partly respecting them, as they were a nation dis- 
tinct from all others. 

Q,. 95. What were those laws which respected them as 
a people distinct from all others % 

A. They were such as concerned the redemption of_ 
their mortgaged estates, Lev. xxv. 13; the resting of their 
land every seventh year, Ex. xxiii. 11; the appointment 
of cities of refuge for the manslayer, Num. xxxv. 15; the 
appearing of their males before the Lord at Jerusalem, 
three times in the year, Deut. xvi. 16; and the like. 

Q,. 96. Is this law abrogated, or is it still of binding 
force 1 

A. So far as it respects the peculiar constitution of the 
Jewish nation, it is entirely abrogated ; but in so far as it 
contains any statute, founded in the law of nature, com- 
mon to all nations, it is still of binding force. 



Quest. 41. Wherein is the moral law summarily com- 
prehended ? 

Ans. The moral law is summarily comprehended in 
the ten commandments. 

Q,. 1. What is it to be [summarily comprehended?] 
A. It is to be briefly summed up, in such few and well 
chosen words, as to take in a great deal more than what 
is expressed, Rom. xiii. 9. 
Q,. 2. Where is the moral law thus briefly summed up 1 
A. In the [ten commandments,] Deut. x. 4. 
Q,. 3. Where is the law more largely and fully set forth 1 
A. In the whole scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
ments, Ps. cxix. 105. 

Q,. 4. By whom were the ten commandments first pro- 
nounced and promulgated ? 

A. By God himself, Exod. xx. 1; God spake all these 
words. 

Q,. 5. Whether was it God essentially considered, or God 
considered as in the person of the Son, who spake these 
words ? 

A. It was the three-one God considered as in the person 
of the Son, who was the speaker of them ; as is evident 
from Acts vii. 37, 38, where the Prophet, whom the Lord 
was to raise up unto the Jews of their brethren, like unto 
Moses, is expressly called the angel which spake to him 
in Mount Sinai. See also Heb. xii. 25, 26. 

Q,. 6. What was the peculiar work of God about these 



22 



OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



words, after he had spoken them with an audible voice, in 
the hearing of all Israel 1 

A. He wrote or engraved them with his own finger, on 
two tables of stone, Deut. ix. 10. 

Q. 7. Was each of these tables written on both sides 1 

A. It is said expressly that they were, Ex. xxxii. 15: 
The tables were written on both their sides ; on the one 
side, and on the other were they written. 

a. 8. What did this signify ? 

A. The tables being fully written on both sides, signi- 
fied that nothing was to be added to the words of the law, 
or taken away from them, Deut. iv. 2 ; and likewise, that 
the whole man, soul, spirit, and body, must be sanctified 
wholly, 1 Thess. v. 23. 

Q,. 9. How often were the commandments written on 
tables of stone 1 

A. The first being broken by Moses, on occasion of the 
idolatry of Israel, Ex. xxxii. 19, the Lord condescended 
to write on two other tables, the very same words that 
were on the former, chap, xxxiv. 1. 

Q,. 10. Was there any difference between the first two 
tables and the second 1 

A. The first two, which were entirely the work of God, 
(the polishing as well as the engraving,) were broken be- 
neath the mount, Ex. xxxii. 16, 19; but the second, which 
were hewed by Moses, the typical mediator, were put into 
the ark, Deut. x. 3, 5. 

Q,. 11. What spiritual mystery was represented by this ? 

A. That though the covenant of works, made with the 
first Adam, was broken and violated by him, yet it was 
fulfilled in every respect by Christ the true Mediator, who 
" restored that which he took not away," Ps. lxix. 4. 

Q,. 12. Why were the ten commandments written on 
tables of stone? 

A. To intimate the perpetuity, and everlasting obliga- 
tion of the moral law, Ps. cxi. 8. 

Q,. 13. What was signified by their being written with 
the finger of God 7 

A. That it is the work of God, alone, to put his laws 
into the mind of sinners, and to write them in their hearts, 
Heb. viii. 10. 

Q,. 14. Where was the law of the ten commandments 
thus expressly revealed ? 

A. At Mount Sinai, which is also called Horeb, Deut. 
v. 2. 

Q,. 1 5. In what form was the law of the ten command- 
ments given out at Mount Sinai ? 

A. In the form of a covenant, Deut. v. 2 : The Lord our 
God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Accordingly, 
the ten commandments are called the words of the cove- 



OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



23 



nant, Ex. xxxiv. 28 ; and the tables of stone are termed 
the tables of the covenant, Deut. ix. 9. 

Q,. 16. Was the Sinai transaction in the form of the co- 
venant of works, or in the form of the covenant of grace 1 

A. There was, on that solemn occasion, a repetition of 
both those covenants. ■ • 

Q,. 17. In what order were these two covenants repeated 
on Mount Sinai ] 

A. The covenant of grace was first promulgated, and 
then the covenant of works was displayed, as subservient 
to it. 

Q. 18. How does it appear that the covenant of grace 
was first promulgated 1 

A. From these words in the preface, prefixed to the 
commands, I am the Lord thy God, spoken to a select 
people, the natural seed of Abraham, as typical of his 
whole spiritual seed, Gal. iii. 16, 17. 

Q,. 19. How are the ten commandments to be viewed, 
as they stand annexed to this promulgation of the cove- 
nant of grace on Mount Sinai ? 

A. They are to be viewed as the law of Christ, or as a 
rule of life, given by Christ the Mediator to his spiritual 
seed, in virtue of his having engaged to fulfil the law, as a 
covenant, in their room, Rom. vii. 4. 

Q. 20. How does it appear that the covenant of works 
was likewise displayed on Mount Sinai 7 

A. From the thunderings and lightnings, and the voice 
of the living God, speaking (the words of the ten com- 
mandments) out of the midst of the fire, Ex. xx. 18. Deut. 
v. 22, 26. 

Q. 21. What was signified by the thunderings and light- 
nings, and the voice of God, speaking out of the midst of 
the fire'? 

A. These awful emblems represented that infinite aveng- 
ing wrath, which was due to all of Adam's family, for the 
breach of the covenant of works, by which the whole of 
God's holy law was violated and infringed, Gal. iii. 10. 

Q,. 22. Why did God make a display of the covenant of 
works in such an awful and tremendous manner ? 

A. That sinners of mankind might be deterred from the 
most remote thought of attempting obedience to the law 
as a condition of life ; and be persuaded to fly to, and 
acquiesce in the undertaking of Christ, who engaged his 
heart to approach to God, as Surety in the room of an 
elect world, Jer. xxx. 21. 

Q,. 23. If both covenants, of grace and works, were ex- 
hibited on Mount Sinai, were not the Israelites, in that 
case, under both these covenants at one and the same 
time? 

. A. They could not be under both covenants in the same 



24 



OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



respects, at the same time; and therefore they must be 
considered either as believers or unbelievers, both as to 
their outward church state and inward soul frame. 

Q,. 24. In what respects were the believing Israelites, in 
the Sinaitic transaction, under both covenants 1 

A. They were internally and really under the covenant 
of grace, as all believers are, Rom. vi. 14, and only exter- 
nally, under the above awful display of the covenant of 
works, as it was subordinate and subservient to that of 
grace, in pointing out the necessity of the Surety right- 
eousness, Gal. hi. 24. 

Q,. 25. In what respects were unbelievers among them, 
under these two covenants of works and grace] 

A. They were only externally, and by profession, in 
respect of their visible church state, under the covenant 
of grace, Rom. ix. 4 ; but internally, and really, in respect 
of the state of their souls, before the Lord, they were 
under the covenant of works, chap. iv. 14, 15. 

Q,. 26. Which of the two covenants was the principal 
part of the Sinai transaction 1 

A. The covenant of grace was both in itself, and in 
God's intention, the principal part of it ; nevertheless, the 
covenant of works was the more conspicuous part of it, 
and lay most obvious to the view T of the people ; for they 
saw the thunderings and the lightnings, and the noise of 
the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, Ex. xx. 18. And 
so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly 
fear and quake, Heb. xii. 21. 

Q. 27. What effect had this tremendous display of the 
covenant of works upon the Israelites 1 

A. It tended to beat them off, in some measure, from 
that self-confidence which they had expressed before the 
publication of the law, Ex. xix. 8 ; and to discover the 
necessity of a Mediator, and of faith in him as the sole 
foundation of all acceptable obedience, Rom. xvi. 25, 26. 

Q,. 28. How does it appear that it had this effect ? 

A. From their own words to Moses, after the terrible 
sight which they saw, Deut. v. 27 : " Speak thou unto us 
all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee ; and we 
will hear [that is, believe] and cZo." On which account 
the Lord commends them, ver. 28 : " They have well said 
all that they have spoken : O that there were such a heart 
in them !" 

Q,. 29. In what respect had they said well in what they 
had spoken 1 

A. In as much as they had made faith, or believing, the 
source and spring of acceptable doing ; for, " whatsoever 
is not of faith is sin," Rom. xiv. 23. 

Q,. 30. How many commandments are commonly allot- 
ted to each of these two tables of the law 1 



OP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



25 



A. Four to the first table, containing our duty to God ; 
and six to the second, containing our duty to man. 

Q. 31. How are the precepts, which are naturally moral, 
distinguished from those that are but positively so I 

A. The precepts which are naturally moral have, in 
them, an innate rectitude and holiness, which is insepar- 
able from them; but the precepts which are positively 
moral, have their rectitude, not from their own nature, 
but from the positive command of God. 

d. 32. What example may be given of this for illustra- 
tion? 

A. The fourth commandment, as it requires God to be 
worshipped, is naturally moral, founded in the very na- 
ture of God j but as it enjoins, that he be worshipped on 
such a particular day of the week, it is positively moral, 
founded entirely in the will of God. 

Q,. 33. What is the difference between the commands 
that are expressed in affirmative, and those that are ex- 
pressed in negative terms ! 

A. " What God forbids is at no time to be done, Rom. 
iii. 8 ; what he commands is always our duty, Deut. iv. 8, 
9 ; and yet every particular duty is not to be done at all 
times, Matt. xii. 7."* 

Q,. 34. Why are negative precepts binding at all times ? 

A. Because what is forbidden is at all times sinful ; and 
ought never to be done, on any pretext whatsoever, Gen. 
xxxix. 9. 

Q,. 35. What are the peculiar properties of the law of the 
ten commandments ? 

A. That it is perfect, Ps. xix. 7; spiritual, Rom. vii. 14; 
and exceedingly broad, or most extensive, Ps. cxix. 96. 

Q,. 36. What rule is to be observed for the right under- 
standing of the perfection of the law 1 

A. " That it binds every one to full conformity in the 
whole man, unto the righteousness thereof, and to entire 
obedience for ever; so as to require the utmost perfection 
in every duty and to forbid the least degree of every sin, 
Matt. v. 21, to the end, James ii. 10."f 

Q,. 37. What rule is to be observed for understanding 
the spirituality of the law 1 

A. That it reaches to the thoughts and motions of the 
heart, as well as to the words and" actions of the life, Deut. 
vi. 54 

Q,. 38. What rule is to be observed for the right under- 
standing of the breadth or extent of the law 1 

A. That, as where a duty is commanded, the contrary 
sin is forbidden, Isa. lviii. 13 ; and where a sin is forbidden, 
the contrary duty is commanded, Eph. iv. 28 : so, when 

* Larger Cateehism, Q. 99. Rule 5. t Ibid. Rule 1. t Ibid. Rule 2. 
Part IT. — 3 



26 



OF THE SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



any duty is commanded, all the causes and means of it are 
commanded also, Heb. x. 24, 25; and when any sin is 
forbidden, all occasions and temptations to it, are likewise 
forbidden, Gal. v. 26 * 



Quest. 42 . What is the sum of the ten commandments ? 

Ans. The sum of the ten commandments is, To love 
the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, 
with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our 
neighbour as ourselves. 

Q,. 1. How is the sum of the ten commandments divided 
in this answer I 

A. Into the sum of the four commandments in the first 
table, which contain our duty to God ; and into the sum 
of the six commandments in the second table, which con- 
tain our duty to man. 

Q,. 2. What is the sum of the four commandments in the 
first table, which contain our duty to God ] 

A. It is [to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, 
with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our 
mind,] Luke x. 27. 

Q. 3. Why is this called " the first and great command- 
ment ?" Matt. xxii. 38. 

A. Because the duties of the first table have a more 
direct relation to God, as being the immediate object of 
them, or, because love to our neighbour should flow from 
love to God, as the proper fountain and principle of it, 1 
John v. 1. 

Q. 4. What is meant by the [sum] of the command- 
ments 1 

A. The comprehensive duty of the law, which includes 
all other duties in the bosom of it, Rom. xiii. 9. 
Q. 5. What is the comprehensive duty of the law 1 
A. It is love ; for " love is the fulfilling of the law," Rom. 
xiii. 10. 

Q,. 6. What is the nature of that love which is the com- 
prehensive duty of the law ? 

A. It is such as flows from faith, as the source and 
fountain of it ; for " faith worketh by love," Gal. v. 6. 

Q,. 7. What ought to be the supreme object of our love ? 

A. [The Lord^ or Jehovah himself, as he is our God, 
Deut. xxx. 6. 

Q,. 8. How many ways may the Lord be said to be [our 
God ?] 



* Larger Catechism, Rules 4, 6. 



OF THE SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 27 

A. Two ways ; either by external revelation and offer ; 
or, by special property and possession. 

Q-. 9. To whom does he make the external revelation 
and offer of himself, as their God ! 

A. To all such of mankind, without exception, as have 
the word of this salvation sent to them, Prov. viiL 4. Heb. 
viii. 10. 

Q,. 10. When is he our God by special property and 
possession 1 

A. When by faith we are united to Christ, 1 Cor. iii. 23, 
in whom mercy and truth are met together, righteousness 
and peace have kissed each other, Ps. lxxxv. 10. 

Q. 11. What is it to love the Lord our God [with all our 
heart?] 

A. It is to love him unfeignedly, without hypocrisy or 
dissimulation, Rom. xii. 9. 

Q,. 12. What is it to love him [with all our soul, and 
mind?] 

A. It is to have an intelligent, cordial, and affectionate 
love to God ; expressed in all the duties, in which any 
power or faculty of the soul can be exercised, Isa. xxvi. 
8, 9. 

Q,. 13. What is it to love the Lord our God [with all our 
strength ?] 

A. It is to love nothing so much as God, Matt. x. 37; 
and nothing but in subordination to him, Luke xiv. 26. 

Q,. 14. How may we know, if we have such a supreme 
love to the Lord our God 7 

A. If we love him purely for himself, and his own 
matchless excellency, as shining in the face of Jesus, 
Song i. 3 ; if we account all things but loss in comparison 
of him, Phil. iii. 8 ; and if we centre in him as the only 
resting-place of our souls for ever, Ps. lxxiii. 25, 26. 

Q. 15. What is the sum of the six commandments in 
the second table, which contain our duty to man ? 

A. It is to love [our neighbour as ourselves,] Matt. xxii. 
39 : " The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself." 

Q,. 16. Why is the sum of the second table said to be 
like unto the sum of the first } 

A. Because the duties of the second table are enjoined 
by the same authority as those of the first, James ii. 10. 

Q,. 17. In which of the two tables is the lawful love of 
ourselves contained, seeing it is not expressly mentioned 
in either of them 1 

A. It is fairly implied and supposed in both tables, par- 
ticularly in the second, where love to ourselves is made 
the example and pattern, according to which we should 
love others, Luke x. 27: " Thou shalt love — thy neighbour 
as thyself" 



23 



OF THE SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



Q. 18. What is lawful self-love? 

A. It is an aiming at our own happiness, in subordina- 
tion to the glory of God, which ought to be our chief and 
ultimate end, 1 Cor. x. 31. 

Q,. 19. Whom are we to understand by [our neigh- 
bour?] 

A. All of mankind to whom we have any way access to 
be useful, either as to their temporal or spiritual good, 
Luke x. 36, 37. 

Q,. 20. What is it to love our neighbour [as ourselves?] 

A. It is to love him as truly and sincerely as we do our- 
selves, Eph. v. 29 : " No man ever hated his own flesh, but 
nourisheth and cherisheth it." 

Q,. 21. Should our love to our neighbour be as great as 
it is to ourselves ? 

A. It is not required that it be as great in degree, but 
only that it be as sincere, and free of hypocrisy, as it is to 
ourselves, Rom. xii. 9. 

Q. 22. What is the rule according to which our love to 
our neighbour should be regulated ? 

A. That we do to others what we would have them do 
to us, Matt. vii. 12. 

Q,. 23. How is this rule to be explained for preventing 
the abuse of it ? 

A. That we do as we would be done to, from a well-in- 
formed judgment ; and by such as place themselves in the 
same relations, and in the same circumstances with us. 

Q,. 24. Why are we enjoined to esteem others better 
than ourselves ? Phil. ii. 3. 

A. Because the more of the grace of God we have in 
our hearts, we will the more clearly see that we ourselves 
are the chief of sinners, 1 Tim. i. 14, 15, and have the seed 
of all sin in us, which would soon spring up into the worst 
of actions, if not restrained, Rom. vii. 23. 

Q. 25. What is the difference between the love we 
should have to all in general, and the love we should have 
to the saints in particular ? 

A. We should love all men in general, with a love of 
benevolence, and likewise of beneficence according to our 
ability, Gal. vi. 10 ; but we should love the saints with a 
love of complacency and delight, Ps. xvi. 3. 

Q,. 26. How ought our love to extend itself to our ene- 
mies? 

A. By forgiving them, and praying for them, Matt. v. 
44. Acts viL~60. 

Q,. 27. What may we learn from the sum of the com- 
mandments ? 

A. That charity, or love, which is the end of the com- 
mandment, ought to flow from a pure heart, and a good 
conscience, and faith unfeigned, 1 Tim. i. 5. 



OF THE PREFACE TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 29 



Quest. 43. What is the preface to the ten command- 
ments ? 

Ans. The preface to the ten commandments is in these 
words : I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee 
out of the laud of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

Quest. 44. What does the preface to the ten command- 
ments teach us 1 

Ans. The preface to the ten commandments teaches 
us, That because God is the Lord, and our God, and Re- 
deemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his command- 
ments. 

Q. 1. What is a [preface?] 

A. It is something spoken before, or a preparatory in- 
troduction to the following discourse. 

Q,. 2. Are these words, [I am the Lord thy God,] &c. to 
be understood as a preface to all the commandments, or to 
the first only I 

A. They are to be understood as a preface to them all, 
though they stand immediately connected with the first, 
as being the ground of the particular applicatory faith in a 
redeeming God, which is enjoined in it. 

Q,. 3. Why are the above words prefixed as a preface to 
all the commandments \ 

A. Because they are designed as so many reasons and 
arguments to enforce our obedience to them. 

Q. 4. Why does God give reasons to enforce obedience 
to his commands, when his will is the supreme law 1 

A. To manifest his amazing condescension, in dealing , 
with us in a suitableness to our natures as rational crea- 
tures, Hos. xi. 4. 

Q,. 5. How many reasons or arguments are there in this 
preface, by which God enforces obedience to his law ] 

A. Three ; the first is, because he is the Lord, or Jeho- 
vah ; the second, because he is our God ; and. the third, be- 
cause he is our Redeemer. 

Q,. 6. Which of these three is the formal reason of obe- 
dience 1 

A. The first, namely, God's essential greatness, as he is 
" Jehovah, the Most High over all the earth," Ps. lxxxiii. 
18 ; though, at the same time, his relative goodness, as our 
God, and the deliverance he has accomplished as our Re« 

3* 



30 OF THE PREFACE TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 

deemer, are invincible arguments and motives to obey 
him, Lev. xix. 36, 37. 

Q,. 7. What is the strength of the first argument for obe- 
dience, taken from God's being [the Lo?'d?] 

A. The strength of it lies in this, That because God is 
Jehovah, " the eternal, immutable, and almighty God, hav- 
ing his being in and of himself, and giving being to all his 
words and works :"* therefore, all obedience and subjec- 
tion is due to him, Lev. xx. 8. 

Q. 8. In what lies the strength of the second argument 
for obedience to God's law, taken from his being [our 
God ?] 

A. It lies in this, That because he makes himself over to 
sinners of mankind, by a new covenant grant, in the word 
of divine revelation ; therefore, this ought to sweeten all his 
commands, and powerfully excite us to the obedience of 
them, Lev. xx. 7. 

Q,. 9. What does God make over to us in the word, when 
he makes a grant of himself in it to be our God 1 

A. He makes over to us whatever he is, Hos. xiii. 4, and 
whatever he has, Ps. lxxxiv. 11, as God, to be ours freely 
and eternally. 

Q,. 10. What does he make over to us when he makes 
a grant of whatever he is ? 

A. He makes over to us both what he is essentially, and 
what he is personally. 

Q,. 11. What does he make over to us when he makes a 
grant of what he is essentially 1 

A. All his glorious attributes and excellencies to be ours, 
Ex. xxxiv. 6 ; his infinity, to be the extent of our inherit- 
ance, Rev. xxi. 7; his eternity, to be the date of our hap- 
piness, John xiv. 19 ; his unchangeableness, to be the rock 
of our rest, Mai. iii. 6 ; his wisdom, to direct us, Ps. lxxiii. 
24 ; his power, to protect us, 2 Chron. xvi. 9 ; his holiness, 
to sanctify us, Ezek. xvi. 14 ; his justice, to justify and pre- 
serve us, Rom. iii. 26 ; his goodness, to reward us in the 
way of grace, not of debt, J John ii. 25; and his truth, to 
secure us in the accomplishment of all his promises, Heb. 
x. 23. 

Q,. 12. What does he make over to us, when he makes 
a grant of what he is personally] 

A. He makes over himself in the person of the Father, 
to be our God and Father in Christ, 1 Pet. i. 3 ; in the per- 
son of the Son, to be our Redeemer and Saviour, Isa. xlviii. 
17; and in the person of the Holy Ghost, to be our Sanc- 
tifier and Comforter, John xiv. 16. 

Q, 13. What is it that he makes over to us, when he 
makes a grant of whatever he has ? 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 101. 



OP THE PREFACE TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 



31 , 



A. As he has all the good things we can possibly need 
in time, or through eternity, so he makes them all freely 
over to us in the promise ; — " All things are yours," 1 Cor. 
iii. 21: for instance, he has life, for the quickening of us 
who are dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. ii. 1; righteous- 
ness, for the justifying of us who are guilty, Isa. xlv. 25 ; 
and redemption for delivering us who are lawful captives, 
chap. xlix. 24, 25. In a word, " Eye hath not seen, nor 
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love him," 
1 Cor. ii. 9. 

Q,. 14. Is this grant that God makes of himself to us in 
the word, to be our God, no more than a mere argument, 
or motive to enforce our obedience 1 

A. It also stren Athens and enables us to obey God, Ezek. 
xxxvi. 27, 28. 

Q,. 15. How does the revelation of God's being our God, 
strengthen and enable us to obedience ! 

A. In as much as by the revelation of this, the Holy 
Ghost is conveyed as the immediate efficient of holiness, 
Gal. iii. 2 ; and faith is produced in the soul, as the spring 
and fountain of it, chap. v. 6. 

Q,. 16. Why does God front his law with this grant of 
himself as the Lord our God } 

A. Because it comprehends all the promises of the cove- 
nant, and all the blessings that are wrapt up in them, and 
therefore is the best encouragement to the obedience of 
faith ; for, because he is our God, he will give us one heart, 
and one way ; he will not turn away from us to do us 
good, but will put his fear in our hearts, that we shall not 
depart from him, Jer. xxxii. 38 — 40. 

Q,. 17. Why does God make this declaration of his grace 
in the present time [I am] and not in the future, I will be 
thy God] 

A. To show that God's covenant of promise is always 
a solid ground and foundation for the present actings of 
faith, in every case and circumstance in which we can be 
situated, James ii. 23. 

Q,. 1 8. Why does God, in this grant, address the sinner 
in the singular number, I am [thy] God I 

A. That every individual sinner, to whom the revelation 
of his grace may come, should believe it with a particular 
applicatory faith, Zech. xiii. 9 : "I will say, It is my people ; 
and they shall say, The Lord is my God." 

Q,. 19. How may we know, if ever we have, by faith, 
received the offer and grant that God makes of himself in 
the word ? 

A. By our love and esteem of him, Ex. xv. 2 ; by our 
reposing entire trust and confidence in him, Ps. xviii. 2 ; 
by our likeness and conformity to him, 1 John iii. 3 ; and 



32 OF THE PREFACE TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 



by our longing after the full fruition and enjoyment of 
him, Ps. lxxiii. 25. 

Q,. 20. What is the third argument, in the Preface, for 
enforcing our obedience ! 

A. It is in these words : [which have brought thee out 
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.] 

21. How are these words explained in our Cate- 
chism 1 

A. Of our spiritual redemption by Jesus Christ; for, 
[the preface to the ten commandments teaches us, That 
because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, 
therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.] 

Q,. 22. In what lies the strength of this argument, for 
enforcing our obedience to the commands of God ! 

A. It lies in this, that as he brought Israel of old out of 
their bondage in Egypt, so he delivered us out of our spi- 
ritual thraldom ; and therefore we should " serve him with- 
out fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the 
days of our life," Luke i. 74, 75. 

Q,. 23. In what respects did the deliverance of Israel 
out of Egypt resemble our spiritual redemption by Christ ? 

A. The Israelites were made to serve the Egyptians with 
rigour, Ex. i. 14 ; so sinners, by nature, are under the most 
cruel bondage and servitude to sin and Satan, 2 Pet. ii. 19 ; 
the Israelites were not able of themselves to shake off the 
Egyptian yoke, Ex. ii. 23 ; no more are sinners of man- 
kind capable of extricating themselves from a state of spi- 
ritual slavery in which they are naturally inthralled, Rom. 
v. 6 : the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, with a 
strong hand and a stretched out arm, Ps. cxxxvi. 12; so 
are we, out of our spiritual thraldom, by the mighty power 
of God, Ps. ex. 2, 3 : the Egyptians were destroyed, when 
Israel were delivered, Ex. xiv. 28; so principalities and 
powers were spoiled, Col. ii. 15, transgression finished, 
Dan. ix. 24, and death unstinged, 1 Cor. xv. 55, when our 
redemption was accomplished, ver. 57. 

24. Seeing the deliverance of Israel, which was typ- 
ical of our spiritual deliverance, was brought about by 
divine power, without the payment of a price, will it fol- 
low, that our spiritual redemption was also without a 
price i 

A. By no means ; unless the similitude between the type 
and the antitype held in every respect, which it cannot 
possibly do ; for, though there be a resemblance between 
them in some things, yet there is always a disparity in 
others; as might be made evident in every one of the 
scriptural types and metaphors, to which divine things are 
compared: for instance, Jonah was alive in the whale's 
belly, whereas Christ was actually dead in the grave. 

Q. 25. Since God brought all the Israelites, without ex- 



OF THE PREFACE TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 33 

ception, out of Egypt, does it not from thence follow, that 
Christ redeemed all mankind from their spiritual bondage 1 

A. No ; because the Israelites did not typify and repre- 
sent all mankind, but the elect only, Ps. cxxxv. 4. 

Q,. 26. How do you prove that the elect only, and not all 
mankind, were redeemed by Christ 1 

A. From the Father's gift of them to him from eternity, 
John xvii. 6 ; from his representing them in his death, 
John x. 1 1 : and from his intercession within the veil for 
them only, John xvii. 9 : u I pray for them ; I pray not for 
the world, but for them which thou hast given me." 

Q,. 27. Are the purchase and intercession of Christ pre- 
cisely of the same extent 1 

A. Surely they are ; for, his intercession being founded 
on his purchase, and consisting in a presentation of the 
merit of it before the throne, Heb. ix. 24, it clearly follows, 
that the one can be no more extensive than the other, 
John xvii. 24 : M Father, I will that they also whom thou 
hast given me, be with me where I am." 

Q,. 28. How then are those scriptures to be explained, 
which seem to speak of a universal purchase of all man- 
kind; such as, that Christ died for all, 2 Cor. v. 15; that 
he tasted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9 ; that he is the 
propitiation also for the sins of the whole world, 1 John ii. 
2 ; and the like 1 

A. They are to be explained in a limited sense, of some 
only, and not of every individual of mankind ; as the like 
general terms are undoubtedly to be understood in other 
places of scripture ; such as Col. i. 6, and Rev. xiii. 3 ; for, 
if it is alleged, that the above scripture expressions prove 
a universal purchase, it may be said, with the same parity 
of reason, that they prove a universal application of it, 
which few will assert. 

Q,. 29. Does not the universal offer of Christ prove the 
universal redemption of all, at least within the visible 
church 1 

A. No : it only proves the unquestionable duty of all to 
believe,, upon the call and command of God, 1 John iii. 23 ; 
and the infinite intrinsic worth of the satisfaction of Christ 
for the salvation of all, had it been so designed, chap. iv. 
14. 

Q,. 30. Does the redemption purchased by Christ bring 
any benefit or advantage to the reprobate world ? 

A. It is owing to it that the gospel is sent among them, 
John iv. 4 ; that temporal judgments are shortened, Mark 
xiii. 20 ; and it is on account of the elect, who are to spring 
of them, that they are preserved for awhile in this world, 
Rom xi. 30 ; but then these, or the like benefits, are not to 
be considered as the fruit of Christ's purchase to the 
reprobate themselves, but to the elect only, who are living 



34 OF THE PREFACE TO THE COMMANDMENTS. 

among them, 2 Cor. iv. 15, or who are to descend from 
them, Isa. vi. 13. 

Q,. 31. In what consists the spiritual bondage we are 
naturally under, and redeemed from by Christ 1 

A. It consists in our being under the wrath of God, John 
iii. 18; the guilt, power, and pollution of sin, Rom. viii. 7; 
the tyranny of Satan, Eph. ii. 2; the snares and tempta- 
tions of the world, 1 John ii. 16 ; and in our liability to the 
pains of hell for ever, Matt. xxv. 46. 

Q,. 32. What right had Christ to be our Redeemer from 
this state of spiritual bondage] 

A. He had a right of property, and a right of propin- 
quity. 

33. How had he a right of property ? 
A. As God, he is the original owner, Rom. ix. 21 ; and 
as Mediator, he has the elect given to him by his Father, 
John xvii. 6. 

Q,. 34. How has he a right of propinquity 1 
A. He has it by the legal union which subsisted between 
him and us from eternity, in virtue of his being " made a 
surety of a better testament," Heb. vii. 22 ; and by the 
assumption of our nature in time, by which he became 
our kinsman, and is not ashamed to call us brethren, Heb. 
ii. 11, 12. 

Q,. 35. What does God's delivering Israel out of the 
land of Egypt teach us, with respect to his church and 
people in general 1 

A. It teaches us, that as affliction is the lot of the Lord's 
people, in this present evil world, so deliverance from it is 
secured in due time, Ps. xxxiv. 19: "Many are the afflic- 
tions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of 
them all." 

Q,. 36. W T hat is the difference between the afflictions of 
the godly, and those of the wicked? 

A. The afflictions of the godly are the chastisements of 
a gracious Father, flowing from love, and designed for 
their profit, Heb. xii. 6, 10 ; but the afflictions of the wicked 
are the punishments of an avenging Judge, flowing from 
wrath, and designed for their ruin and destruction, Eccl. 
v. 17. 

Q,. 37. What improvement ought we to make of our 
spiritual redemption ! 

A. It should excite us to " stand fast in the liberty 
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and not to be entan- 
gled again with the yoke of bondage," Gal. v. 1 ; to ascribe 
all the praise of our spiritual liberty to our glorious Deliver- 
er, Rev. i. 5, 6 ; and to testify our gratitude and thankful- 
ness to him, by a conversation becoming the gospel, Phil, 
i, 27. 



OF THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



35 



Quest. 45. Which is the first commandment ? 

Ans. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no 
other gods before me* 

Quest. 46. What is required in the first command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The first commandment requireth us to know and 
acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God ; 
and to worship and glorify him accordingly. 

Q,. L Why are most part of the commands of the law 
delivered in negative terms 1 

A. Because negative precepts are of the strictest obliga- 
tion, binding always, and at all times. 

Q,. 2. Why is the first commandment, in particular, so 
expressed 1 

A. Because of the perpetual propensity of our nature, 
since the fall, to depart from the living God, " through an 
evil heart of unbelief," Heb. iii. 12. 

Q. 3. Why is this commandment set in front of all the 
rest? 

A. To teach us, that the having Jehovah to be our God, 
is the leading and fundamental duty of the law, Ex. xv. 2, 
which sweetly and powerfully influences obedience to all 
the other commands of it, Ps. cxviii. 28. 

Q. 4. What influence has obedience to the first, upon 
obedience to the other precepts of the law ] 

A. As obedience to the first commandment, is to believe 
that God is our God, upon the gift of himself to us, in these 
words, [I am the Lord thy God ;] so, without believing 
this it is impossible we can do any thing else that will 
please him, Heb. xi. 6 ; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin, 
Rom. xiv. 23 

Q. 5. Why do this, and other commands, run in the 
second person singular, thou, and not in the plural, you, 
or ye ? 

A. To signify, that God would have us to take his com- 
mandments, as spoken to each of us in particular, as if we 
were mentioned by name. 

Q. 6. What is the connexion between the preface and 
the first commandment 7 

A. The preface reveals and exhibits the object of faith, 
and the first commandment enjoins the duty of believing 
on that object : the one makes a grant of grace, and the 
other warrants us to lay hold on it. 

Q. 7. Are the preface and first commandment of equal 
extent ) 



3G 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



A. Yes ; every one to whom the promise in the preface 
is revealed, is obliged, by the command, to believe it, with 
application, John iii. 18. 

Q,. 8. Can the obligation of the law be in the least 
weakened by the grace of the gospel, published in the 
preface ? 

A. So far from it, that it is impossible for any man to 
share of the grace of the gospel, published in the preface, 
but in a way of believing, enjoined in the first command 
of the law, Rom. iii. 31: "Do we make void the law 
through faith 1 God forbid." 

Q,. 9. What are the chief duties required in the first 
commandment, as thus connected with the preface 1 

A. [To know and acknowledge God, to be the only true 
God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him ac- 
cordingly.] 

Q,. 10. What knowledge of God does the first command- 
ment require 1 

A. It requires us to know that God is; and that he is 
such a God as he has manifested himself to be in his 
word, Heb. xi. 6. 

Q. 11. What has God manifested himself to be in his 
word ? 

A. He has manifested himself to be, " The Lord, the 
Lord God merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and 
abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thou- 
sands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and that 
will by no means clear the guilty ;" namely, without a 
satisfaction, Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7; or, he has manifested himself 
to be in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, 2 Cor. 
v. 19. 

Q,. 12. W T hat is it to [know] God as he is in Christ 1 
A. It is to know that he is well pleased for Christ's 
righteousness' sake, because he has magnified the law, 
and made it honourable, Isa. xlii. 21. 

Q,. 13. How is the knowledge of God usually distin- 
guished 1 

A. Into speculative or common, and practical or saving 
knowledge. 

Q,. 14 "What is the speculative or common knowledge 
of God 7 

A. It is only a floating knowledge of him in the head, 
without any saving influence or efficacy upon the heart 
and practice; as is to be found in ungodly persons or 
hypocrites, who may " profess that they know God, but in 
works they deny him," Tit. i. 16. 

Q,. 15. What is it to have a saving and practical know- 
ledge of God? 

A. It is to have such a lively apprehension of his rela- 
tion to us as our God in Christ, as is accompanied with an 



IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



37 



habitual conformity to his will, in heart and life, 1 John ii. 
3, 4. 

Q,. 16. What are the evidences of true saving know- 
ledge 1 

A. It is an experimental, Col. i. 6, interesting, Ps. xli. 
11, sanctifying, 2 Pet. i. 8, and humbling knowledge, Job 
xl. 4, 5. 

Q. 17. What is it to [acknowledge] God 1 

A. It is to own, avouch, and confess him, both in secret, 
and before the world, Rom. x. 10, — " With the mouth con 
fession is made unto salvation." 

Q,. 18. Why are the knowing and acknowledging of God 
joined together ? 

A. Because wherever the saving knowledge of God is 
implanted in the heart, there will be always some evi- 
dences of it, either to ourselves, or others, discovered in 
the life, Dan. xi. 32 : " The people that do know their God, 
shall be strong, and do exploits." 

Q,. 19. What should we know and acknowledge God 
iobel 

A. We should know and acknowledge him to be [the 
only true God, and our God.] 

Q. 20. What is it to know and acknowledge God to be 
[the only true God.] 

A. It is to believe and profess, that he alone, and none 
else, is possessed of all infinite perfection, and that the 
perfections of the divine nature are most eminently dis- 
played and manifested in the person of Christ, our only 
Saviour and Redeemer, Hos. xiii. 4 : " Thou shalt know 
no God but me : for there is no Saviour besides me." 

Q,. 21. What is it to know and acknowledge God to be 
[our God 1] 

A. It is to profess our relation to him, as his people, upon 
the faith of the grant that he makes of himself to us as ours, 
in the word; Deut. xxvi. 17, 18. Ps. xlviii. 14. 

Q,. 22. Can we know and acknowledge God to be our 
God, (as required in this commandment) unless we believe 
in Christ ! 

A. No ; for " no man cometh unto the Father but by me," 
says Christ — " He that hath seen me hath seen the Fa- 
ther," John xiv. 6, 9. 

Q,. 23. Is not faith, or believing in Christ, a gospel pre- 
cept only, and not required in the law 1 

A. By no means; for, in the gospel, strictly and pro- 
perly taken, as it is contra-distinct from the law, there can 
be no precept ; because the gospel, in this strict sense, is 
nothing else than a promise, or glad tidings of a Saviour, 
with grace, mercy, and salvation in him, for lost sinners 

Part II— 4 



33 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



of Adam's family ; according to the following scriptures, 
Gen. iii. 15, Isa. lxi. 1 — 3, Luke ii. 10, 11. 

Q,. 24. Since faith and repentance are duties conse- 
quently to the entrance of sin, and the revelation of the 
gospel, must they not therefore be new precepts, not given 
to Adam in innocence 1 

A. Though there was no occasion for the exercise of 
these duties in an innocent state ; yet Adam being bound 
by the law of creation, (particularly the ten command- 
ments, given him in the form of a covenant of works,) to 
believe whatever God should reveal, and obey whatever 
he should command ; no sooner was the gospel revelation 
made, than the very same law, which bound him, while 
in innocence, to believe in God as his Creator, obliged 
him, when fallen, to believe in God as his Redeemer, now 
revealed and made known to him; and likewise to turn 
from sin to God, Rom. iii. 31. 

Q,. 25. Whence is it that the obligation of the law is so 
extensive, as to bind to the belief of whatever God shall 
reveal 1 

A. This arises from the absolute perfection of the law, 
which being a complete rule of all obedience, cannot but 
fasten the duty, the same moment that the object is re- 
vealed, Ps. cxix. 96: Thy commandment is exceeding 
broad. 

Q,. 26. What is the absurdity of making faith and re- 
pentance new gospel precepts I 

A. The absurdity is, that by this another righteousness 
is introduced in our own persons, than the righteousness 
of Christ, as the immediate ground of our pardon and ac- 
ceptance before God. 

Q,. 27. How does this absurdity necessarily follow from 
the aforesaid doctrine } 

A. If Christ, as our surety, has fulfilled the precept, and 
endured the penalty of the moral law, according to Gal. 
iv. 4, 5, then it cannot but follow, that this law of faith and 
repentance, not being fulfilled by him, must be fulfilled by 
ourselves, in our own persons, as our righteousness be- 
fore God : and thus another ground of justification is estab- 
lished, besides the Surety righteousness, contrary to Gal. 
ii. 16, and hi. 21. 

Q,. 28. What is the doctrine of our Larger Catechism on 
this head 1 

A. That believing and trusting in God (which is the 
same with faith,) " being careful in all things to please him," 
and " sorrowful when in any thing he is offended," (which 
is the same with repentance,) are among " the duties re- 
quired in the first commandment :" and that " unbelief- 
distrust — incorrigibleness — and hardness of heart, or im- 



IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



39 



penitency, (according to Rom. ii. 5, there quoted,) are 
among the sins forbidden in it."* 

Q,. 29. What does God require of us in this command- 
ment, as the evidence of our knowing and acknowledg- 
ing him to be the only true God, and our God? 

A. That we [worship and glorify him accordingly,] 
Matt. iv. 10: " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and 
him only shalt thou serve." 

Q, 30. What is it to [worship] God? 

A. It is to make him the supreme object of our esteem, 
Ps. lxxi. 19, desire, Ps. lxxiii. 25, and delight, Ps. cxlii. 5, 
and that not only in our secret devotions, but likewise 
when joining with others in any religious exercise, Ps. 
cxi. 1. 

Q. 31. What is it to [glorify] him? 

A. It is to ascribe all possible glory and perfection to 
him, Ex. xv. 11, and, in all our actions, to aim at the ad- 
vancement of his honour and glory in the world, 1 Cor. 
x. 31. 

Q,. 32. What is imported in our being required to wor- 
ship and glorify him [accordingly ?] 

A. It imports, that since God commands us to know and 
acknowledge him, not only to be the true God, but our 
own God, in virtue of the covenant grant he makes of 
himself in the word ; it becomes us, in all our actions, reli- 
gious and civil, to behave towards him, as standing in 
such a near and intimate relation to us, Ps. xlv. 11. 1 Cor. 
vi. 20. 

Q,. 33. Can we glorify God aright, unless we acknow- 
ledge him to be our God in Christ ? 

A. No ; for, unless we acknowledge a God in Christ, as 
our God, we make him a liar, in saying, I am the Lord thy 
God, and rebel against his authority in the first command- 
ment, which is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Q,. 34. Is believing the promise, then, the foundation of 
all acceptable worship and obedience ? 

A. Yes; for all true obedience, is "the obedience of 
faith," Rom. vi. 26, and " without faith it is impossible to 
please God," Heb. xi. 6. 

Q,. 35. In what manner are we required to worship and 
glorify God? 

A. Both inwardly in our hearts, John iv. 24, and out- 
wardly in our lives, Matt. v. 16. 

Q,. 36. How are we to worship God inwardly in our 
hearts ? 

A. By trusting, Isa. xxvi. 4 ; hoping, Ps. cxxx. 5, and 
delighting in him, Ps. xxxvii. 4 ; by thinking and meditat- 
ing upon him, Mai. iii. 16, Ps. lxiii. 6 ; devoting ourselves 



* See Larger Catechism, Quest. 104, 105. 



40 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



to him, Isa. xlv. 5; and by being filled with grief, when 
he is offended by ourselves or others, Ps. xxxviii. 18, and 
cxix. 136. 

Q. 37. How are we to worship and glorify him out- 
wardly in our lives 1 

A. By praying to him, and praising him with our lips, 
Ps. cxlii. 1, and cxlv. 21; by being zealous for his glory, 
Ps. Ixix. 9; careful to please him, Col. i. 10; and by walk- 
ing humbly before him, Mic. vi. 8. 

Q,. 38. W hat improvement ought we to make of the co- 
venant grant in the preface, [I am the Lord thy God ;] and 
the precept enjoining the belief of this, [Thou shalt have 
no other gods before me \] 

A. That it is the duty of every one of us, without wait- 
ing till we find gracious qualifications wrought in us, in- 
stantly to lay claim to a God in Christ, as our God, Ps. 
xcv. 7 ; this being what he requires in the first place, as 
the foundation of all other acts of obedience, 2 Chron. 
xx. 20. 

Q,. 39. If it is an external federal relation to the visible 
church, which God asserts in the preface, when he says, I 
am the Lord thy God, how can the first commandment 
warrant the faith of a special relation ! 

A. As the command always warrants a particular appli- 
cation of every general promise, so the external federal 
relation which God bears to the visible church, becomes a 
special one, the moment that the promise is believed with 
a particular applicatory faith, Jer. iii. 22. 



Quest. 47. What is forbidden in the first command- 
ment ? 

Axs. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or 
not worshipping and glorifying the true God, as God and 
our God ; and the giving that worship and glory to any 
other which is due to him alone. 

Q. 1. To what general heads may the sins forbidden, in 
the first commandment, be reduced ! 

A. To these two : atheism and idolatry. 

a. 2. What is Atheism! 

A. It is the [denying,] or not having a God. 

Q,. 3. How is atheism commonly distinguished? 

A. Into speculative and practical. 

Q,. 4. How is speculative atheism again subdivided 1 

A. Into that which is directly, and that which is inter- 
pretatively such. 



IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



41 



Q. 5. What is direct speculative atheism ? 

A. It is a fixed persuasion in the heart, and an open pro- 
fession with the mouth, that there is no God. 

Q,. 6. What is speculative atheism, interpretatively, or 
by necessary consequence'? 

A. It is the rejection of any of those truths which are 
necessarily connected with the being of a God ; such as 
the denial of providence, or any of the essential perfec- 
tions of God: because from thence it would necessarily 
follow, that there is no God. 

Q,. 7. Why would it necessarily follow, from the denial 
of providence, or any of the divine perfections, that there 
is no God ! 

A. Because it is impossible to conceive that there is a 
God, without conceiving, at the same time, that he pre- 
serves and governs the world, Isa. xli. 23 ; and it is im- 
possible to conceive his being or existence, without con- 
ceiving him to be possessed of all infinite perfection, 1 
John i. 5. 

Q. 8. Can there be such a person among men, as a direct 
speculative atheist I 

A. No : there can be none of mankind, who has, at all 
times, such a fixed and constant persuasion that there is 
no God, as at no time whatsoever to have the least fear or 
doubt of the contrary, Dan. v. 6, 9. 

Q,. 9. How does it appear that there can be no such per- 
son as a downright speculative atheist 1 

A. From universal experience, which attests, that the 
knowledge and impression of the being of a God, is so na- 
tural to man, that he can no more divest himself of it at all 
times, than he can strip himself of his reason, or shake off 
his own existence, Rom. i. 19 : " That which may be known 
of God is manifest in them ; for God hath showed it unto 
them :" that is, ingrained it in their natures. 

Q,. 10. Would it not seem, that there may be a down- 
right speculative atheist, from Ps. xiv. 1: "The fool hath 
said in his heart, there is no God f * 

A. The words do not import a fixed and permanent per- 
suasion, but rather a secret wish : accordingly, the expres- 
sion is not, The fool hath believed, or is persuaded in his 
heart, but hath said : that is, would fain have harboured 
such a secret desire. 

Q,. 11. Why do wicked men wish there were no God? 

A. To be free of any check or restraint upon their 
lusts, and that they may work all uncleanness with greedi- 
ness, Eph. iv. 19. 

Q,. 12. Who are they that are interpretatively atheists 1 

A. Not only they who deny the providence of God, or 
any essential attribute of his nature, but likewise all deists, 
who reject supernatural revelation ; and all openly wicked 

4* 



42 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



and profane persons, who live as if there was no God, Ps. 
x. 4, 11, 13. 

Q,. 13. Is it speculative or practical atheism, that is 
chiefly levelled against, in this commandment 7 

A. Both : but especially practical atheism, as being uni- 
versally prevalent, Rom. hi. 11. 

Q. 14. What is practical atheism 7 

A. It is a denial of God, in our practice, Tit. i. 16: 
" They profess that they know God, but in works they 
deny him." 

Q,. 15. How does practical atheism evidence itself? 

A. In omitting the duties required in this command- 
ment ; namely, not knowing and acknowledging God to be 
what he really is, and neglecting to worship and glorify 
him accordingly. 

Q. 16. Who are guilty of not knowing God ? 

A. Not only heathens, who walk contrary to nature's 
light, Rom. L 21; but likewise Christians, who being privi- 
leged with the means of knowing God, as in Christ, yet 
slight and neglect the same ; John xv. 22 : " If I had not 
come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin ; but 
now they have no cloak for their sin." 

Q,. 17. Who are they that are guilty of not acknow- 
ledging God 1 

A. They who rush upon the actions of life, without ask- 
ing his counsel about them, Josh. ix. 15: "The men took 
of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the 
Lord." 

Q,. 18. Who are guilty of [not worshipping] God 1 

A. They who live in the habitual neglect of the public, 
private, and secret exercises of his worship, lsa. xliii. 22 : 
" Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob ; thou hast been 
weary of me, O Israel." 

Q,. 19. Who are guilty of [not glorifying] God? 

A. They who set up themselves as their own rule, Ps. 
xii. 4, and make themselves their own end and happiness, 
in opposition to God, Phil. ii. 21. 

Q,. 20. When are men chargeable with this piece of prac- 
tical atheism; namely, of setting themselves up as their 
own rule ] 

A. When they perform any action, religious or civil, 
more because it is agreeable to self, than as it is pleasing 
to God, Zech. vii. 5, 6; when they envy the gifts and pros- 
perity of others, Ps. lxxiii. 3 : and when they would model 
or frame God himself according to their own fancy, ima- 
gining him to be altogether such a one as themselves, 
Ps. 1. 21. 

Q,. 21. When do men make themselves their own end 
and happiness in opposition to God \ 
A. When they ascribe the glory of what they have or 



IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



43 



do, to themselves, and not to God, Dan. iv. 20 ; when they 
are more troubled for what disgraces themselves, than for 
what dishonours God, 1 Sam. xv. 30 ; and when they pre- 
fer the pleasures and profits of this world, to the glorifying 
and enjoying of God, Matt. xix. 22. 

Q,. 22. When may we be said to worship the true God, 
and yet not [as God 1] 

A. When we draw nigh to him with the mouth, and 
honour him with our lips, but our hearts are far from 
him, Matt. xv. 8. 

Q,. 23. When are we guilty of not worshipping and 
glorifying him, as [our God 1] 

A. When, in the course or tenor of our behaviour and 
deportment towards him, we want the habitual exercise 
of the faith of our federal relation to him, Ps. lxxxi. 10, 11. 

Q,. 24. May not the saints themselves be chargeable 
with some degree of practical atheism ? 

A. No doubt they may; when they entertain unbecom- 
ing thoughts of God in their mind, or speak unadvisedly 
to him with their lips. Thus Job is censured by Elihu, for 
charging God with injustice, chap, xxxiii. 10, 11; and 
Jonah speaks most rashly to God, when he says, " I do 
well to be angry, even unto death," chap. iv. 9. 

Q,. 25. How may a person know when blasphemous 
thoughts, and atheistical expressions, are not inconsistent 
with a state of grace 1 

A. When a blasphemous thought is so far from being 
indulged, that it is treated with abhorrence ; and when an 
atheistical expression (uttered through surprise, and the 
hurry and violence of temptation) is deeply regretted and 
lamented, Ps. lxxiii. 21, 22. 

Q,. 26. What is the other general and comprehensive 
sin forbidden in this commandment 1 

A. Idolatry. 

a 27. What is idolatry? 

A. It is [the giving that worship and glory to any other, 
which is due to God' alone.] 

Q,. 28. How is idolatry commonly distinguished ! 

A. Into that which is gross and external, and that which 
is more refined and internal ? 

Q,. 29. What is the idolatry which is gross and external 1 

A. It is an ascription of the ordinary signs of worship, 
or religious homage, to any person or thing, besides the 
true God, Lev. xxvi. 1. 

Q. 30. Who are they that are guilty of this grosser kind 
of idolatry 1 

A. Heathens and Papists. 

Q,. 31. What was the nature of the idolatry of the Hea- 
thens ? 

A. They made gods of the sun, moon, and stars, and of 



44 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



almost every other creature ; yea, of devils themselves, as 
the apostle witnesses, 1 Cor. x. 20. But that which was 
most frequent among them, was their making images or 
idols in the shape of some sort of living creatures, or of a 
mixture of them, and then worshipping them as if they 
were gods, Ps. cxxxv. 15 — 19. 

Q,. 32. How did Heathenish idolatry take its rise in the 
world 1 

A. By men becoming "vain in their imaginations, 
whereby they changed the glory of the incorruptible God 
into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, 
and four-footed beasts, and creeping things," Rom. i. 
21. 23. 

Q,. 33. How does it appear that the Papists are guilty of 
this grosser kind of idolatry ! 

A. By their bowing to images and altars ; giving divine 
honour to the consecrated bread in the sacrament ; ador- 
ing the crucifix ; praying to angels ; invoking the saints, 
especially the virgin Mary, whom they supplicate much 
more frequently than they do Christ himself. By all which 
it appears, that Popish idolatry succeeds in the room of the 
Heathenish ; and is more inexcusable than theirs, because 
those who practise it have the benefit of divine revelation, 
which the heathens have not. 

Q,. 34. How do you prove, that the paying religious 
homage to such things is gross idolatry ! 

A. From the nature of idolatry itself ; the very essence 
of which consists in giving divine worship and honour to 
any creature whatsoever, whether in heaven or earth ; 
for it is written, " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, 
and him only shalt thou serve," Matt. iv. 10. 

Q. 35. What is the idolatry which is more refined and 
internal 1 

A. It is a setting up of idols in the heart, Ezek. xiv. 4 ; 
or giving that room in our esteem and affection to any 
thing else, which God alone ought to possess, Luke xiv. 26. 

Q,. 36. To whom is this kind of idolatry incident? 

A. To all mankind naturally ; and even believers them- 
selves are cautioned and warned against it, I John v. 21: 
" Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 

Q. 37. What are these idols which have a seat in every 
man's and woman's heart by nature ? 

A. Among many others, there are these two, which are 
worshipped and served by the generality, even of the vis- 
ible church, namely, self and the world. 

Q,. 38. How does it appear that self is an idol which 
naturally reigns in the heart of every one ? 

A. From the very first lesson in the school of Chris- 
tianity, which is, to deny self, Matt. xvi. 24 : " Then 



IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 



45 



said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after 
uie, let him deny himself." 

Q,. 39. What is it for a man to deny himself? 

A. It is to give up with his self-wisdom, his self-will, 
and his self-righteousness. 

Q,. 40. When do we give up with the idol of self- wisdom ] 

A. When we are made to see our own depraved reason 
to be but folly, when compared with the wisdom of God 
revealed in his word ; " for the wisdom of this world is 
foolishness with God," 1 Cor. iii. 9. 

Q,. 41. When is the idol of self-will dethroned? 

A. When God's will of precept becomes the sole rule of 
our heart and life, Ps. cxix. 105 ; and his will of providence 
is cheerfully acquiesced in, as the best for us, Rom. viiL 
28. 

Q,. 42. When do we part with the idol of self-righteous- 
ness ? 

A. When we submit to the righteousness of God, or 
found our plea, for eternal life, wholly and entirely upon 
the meritorious obedience and satisfaction of Christ, as 
our Surety, in our room and stead, Phil. iii. 8, 9. 

Q,. 43. How does it appear that the world is an idol 
seated in every man's heart by nature 1 

A. From the habitual turn of our thoughts and affections 
to things temporal, Matt. vi. 31 ; the eager pursuit of them, 
and ardent desire after them, in preference to those that 
are spiritual and eternal, chap. xvi. 26. 

Q,. 44. What are the things of this world which we 
naturally incline tojdolize? 

A. Some make an idol of their worldly riches ; making 
gold their hope, and saying " to the fine gold, Thou art my 
confidence," Job xxxi. 24 ; some, of their worldly plea- 
sures, being " lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God," 
2 Tim. iii. 4 ; some make an idol of their worldly credit 
and reputation, receiving "honour one of another," and 
not seeking " the honour that cometh from God only," John 
v. 44 ; some, of their worldly relations bestowing more of 
their love upon them, than upon God, Matt. x. 37 ; and 
some make an idol of their worldly helps and confidences, 
trusting more to these than to God, Isa. xxxi. 1. Jer. xvii. 5. 

Q,. 45. What is the verdict of the Spirit of God concern- 
ing those who make the world their idol 1 

A. It is this, that " if any man love the world, the love 
of the Father is not in him," 1 John ii. 15. 

d. 46. How may Satan be said to be even idolized, by 
those who profess to bear him an implacable hatred 1 

A. When his suggestions are regarded, more than the 
dictates of the Spirit of God in his word, Isa. xl. 27. xlix. 14. 

Q,. 47. How may the suggestions of Satan be distin- 
guished from the dictates of the Spirit of God 7 



46 



OF THESE WORDS BEFORE ME. 



A. The tendency of all Satan's suggestions is to set up, 
in the soul, some one thing or other in Christ's room, 2 
Cor. iv. 4 ; but the dictates of the Spirit of God are wholly 
calculated for giving Christ in all things the pre-eminence, 
John xvi. 14. 

Q,. 48. Why is Satan called the God of this world] 2 
Cor. iv. 4. 

A. Because he is " the spirit that worketh in the children 
of disobedience," Eph. ii. 2, till " the prey be taken from 
the mighty, and the lawful captive delivered," Isa. xlix. 
24, 25. 

Q,. 49. Who are they that explicitly acknowledge the 
devil as their God ] 

A. They are such as use sorcery, divination, witchcraft, 
charms, and other diabolical arts and practices, condemned 
in Deut. xviii. 10—12. 

Q,. 50. Was Joseph's cup an instrument of divination, 
or did he himself use this unlawful art, when he says, Gen. 
xliv. 15 — " Wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly 
divine !* 

A. By no means ; for the word translated divine, is on 
the margin, rendered, make trial, or inquiry ; and so the 
meaning is, Know ye not that such a man as I, who am 
so diligent and industrious in other matters, would soon 
miss the cup in which I usually drink, and make inquiry 
after the person who had stolen it ) 

Q,. 51. What improvement ought we to make of the 
first commandment, as it stands connected with the 
preface 7 

A. That as God warrants and commands us to believe 
in him, as our God and Redeemer, Ps. xlv. 11; so it is 
our duty to carry along with us the faith of this relation, 
in all our approaches to his presence, Heb. xi. 6. 



Quest. 48. What are we especially taught by these 
words [before me] in the first commandment ? 

Ans. These words [before me] in the first command- 
ment, *each us, That God, who seeth all things, taketh no- 
tice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having 
any other god. 

Q. 1. What is the strength of the argument implied in 
these words [before me ?] 



OF THESE "WORDS BEFORE ME. 



47 



A. That the sin of having any other god, is committed 
in the presence of him, [who seeth all things,] Heb. iv. 13. 

Q,. 2. What is it for God to see all things 1 

A. It is to have a most intimate, perfect, and compre- 
hensive knowledge of them, Ps. cxlvii. 5 : " His understand- 
ing is infinite." 

Q,. 3. In what consists the infinity of God's know- 
ledge I 

A. Not so much in the perfect and comprehensive know- 
ledge of the creatures, which are finite ; as in the perfect 
and comprehensive knowledge of himself, and his own 
excellencies and perfections, which are infinite. 1 Cor. 
ii. 11. 

Q,. 4. How is it that God sees, or knows all things ] 

A. He sees all things at once in his own essence, dis- 
tinctly, infallibly, and immutably, 1 John i. 5. 

Q,. 5. How do you prove that God has such a compre- 
hensive sight and knowledge of all things'? 

A. Because otherwise he could not be the Creator, Go- 
vernor, and Judge of the world, 1 Cor. iv. 5. 

Q,. 6. In what light does God see or know evil actions ? 

A. As they are opposite to his nature, Jer. xliv. 4, and 
contrary to his law, 1 John iii. 4, which is the sole and 
unerring standard of all rectitude, Rom. vii. 12. 

Q. 7. What is that sin which strikes more immediately 
and directly against the authority of God in this com- 
mandment 1 

A. It is [the sin of having any other god.] 

Q,. 8. What is it to have another god ? 

A. It is to have our minds, wills, and affections carried 
out after other objects, as much, or more than after God 
himself, Isa. xlvi. 9, compared with Ezek. xiv. 4. 

Q,. 9. W T hat [notice] does God take of this sin? 

A. He threatens to resent it with the highest marks of 
displeasure, and that even in this life, as well as in the 
world to come, Deut. xxix. 24 — 29. 

Q,. 10. Why is God so [much displeased] w 7 ith the sin of 
having any other God ? 

A. Because it sets up a rival or competitor in his room, 
and that in his very sight and presence, Jer. xxxii. 30. 

Q,. 11. What influence ought the presence of an all- 
seeing God to have upon us in all our actions ! 

A. The consideration of this ought to quicken and ani- 
mate us to every duty, Gen. v. 22, 24 ; and affright and 
deter us from every sin, as being an affronting of him to 
his face, who is our witness, and ere long will be our 
judge, Gen. xxxix. 9. 



48 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Quest. 49. Which is the second commandment 1 
Ans. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not 
make unto thee any graven image , or any likeness of 
any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth 
beneath, or that is in the icater tender the earth. Thou 
shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them ; for 
I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the ini- 
quity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and 
fourth generation of them that hate me ; and shoiving 
mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my 
commandments. 

Quest. 50. What is required in the second command- 
ment 1 

Ans. The second commandment requireth the receiv- 
ing, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such reli- 
gious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in 
his word. 

Q. 1. What is the opinion of the Papists respecting this 
commandment } 

A They allege that it is not a distinct precept from the 
first, but only an appendix, or supplement to it, by way 
of illustration. 

Q,. 2. What is their practice, in consequence of this opin- 
ion 1 

A. They constantly leave it out in their mass books and 
other liturgies of their church, lest the people should ob- 
serve the manifest contrariety of their image worship, to 
what is here so expressly forbidden. 

Q,. 3. In w T hat then does the second commandment differ 
from the first ! 

A. The first commandment respects the object, and re- 
quires that we worship the true God, for our God, and no 
other : the second respects the means of worship, and re- 
quires that the true God be worshipped in such a way 
only, and by such ordinances as he has appointed in his 
word, in opposition to all human inventions. 

Q,. 4. What is meant by [religious worship 1] 

A. That homage and respect we owe to a gracious God, 
as a God of infinite perfection ; by which we profess sub- 
jection to, and confidence in him, as our God in Christ, 
for the supply of all our wants ; and ascribe the praise and 



IN THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



49 



glory that is due to him, as our chief good, and only hap- 
piness, Ps. xcv. 6, 7. 

Q,. 5. What are these religious [ordinances,] which God 
has appointed in his word ! 

A. The)' are " prayer and thanksgiving in the name of 
Christ ; the reading, preaching, and hearing of the word, 
the administration and receiving of the sacraments; 
church government and discipline ; the ministry and main- 
tenance thereof ; religious fasting ; swearing by the name 
of God ; and vowing to him." * 

Q,. 6. Is prayer a moral duty founded in the law of na- 
ture] 

A. It certainly is ; the necessary dependence of the ra- 
tional creature upon its Creator, plainly proves it to be 
so. Hence we find the very Heathens practising it, when 
reduced to straits, Jonah i. 14. 

Q,. 7. How does it appear to be an instituted means of 
worship ] 

A. From a variety of scripture texts enjoining the prac- 
tice of it, in all cases and circumstances, Ps. 1. 15. Phil. iv. 
6. 1 Thess. v. 17. 

Q,. 8. What is acceptable prayer 1 

A. It is an asking in Christ's name, what God has prom- 
ised to give, John xiv. 13; with a full persuasion that he 
hears, and will answer, Mark xi. 24, James i. 6. 

Q,. 9. How many fold is religious thanksgiving 7 

A. Twofold ; stated and occasional. 

Q,. 10. What is stated thanksgiving] 

A. It is not only the thankful acknowledgment of mer- 
cies daily received, which is a branch of prayer ; but like- 
wise the singing the praises of God with the voice, which 
is a stated act of worship, distinct from prayer, though 
ejaculatory prayer ought always to be joined with it, Ps. 
lvii. 7. 

Q,. 11. How do you prove that singing with the voice is 
a stated act of worship appointed under the New Testa- 
ment ] 

A. From the example of Christ and his apostles, who, 
after the first supper, sang a hymn, [or psalm, as on the 
margin,] Matt. xxvi. 30 ; and from the injunction laid up- 
on all Christians to be employed in this exercise, as a 
stated duty, Eph. v. 18, 19. James v. 13. 

Q. 12. What should be the subject matter of our praises 
to God? f 

* See Larger Catechism, Quest. 108. 

t It is scarcely necessary to say that the Presbyterian Church in the 
United States, under the sanction of the General Assembly, celebrate the 
praises of God in hymns of human composure, expressing evangelical 
sentiments, and there are convincing arguments in favour of this practice 
and against the restricted one recommended in the following answer. 

Part II.— 5 



50 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



A. The psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, which are 
dictated by the Spirit of God in scripture ; and not any 
human composure whatever, Eph. v. 19. 

Q. 13. In what manner should these be sung? 

A. With grace in our hearts to the Lord, Col. iii. 16. 

Q,. 14. What is it to sing with grace in our hearts to the 
Lord 1 

A. It is to have our hearts going along with our voice, 
in suitable acts of faith, and elevated affections, Ps. lvii. 7. 

Q,. 15. Are not the Psalms of David, as we sing them in 
our language, of human composure 1 

A. The translation in metre is human, but the sense 
and meaning are the same as the original. 

Q,. 16. What is occasional thanksgiving] 

A. It is the setting some time apart for giving thanks to 
God, on account of some remarkable mercy and deliver- 
ance, respecting either churches and nations in general, 
Neb. xii. 27; or ourselves and families in particular, Eph. 
v. 20. 

Q,. 17. How ought we to engage in this duty? 

A. With an humble sense of our utter unworthiness of 
the least of all God's favours, 2 Sam. vii. 18. 

Q,. 18. Are reading, hearing, and preaching of the word, 
acts of worship? 

A. Although they are not acts of such immediate wor- 
ship as prayer and praise, in which God is immediately 
addressed ; yet being the instituted and ordinary means 
of salvation, they ought to be practised and attended with 
that reverence and regard which is due to the great God 
our Saviour, who is present in them, Matt, xxviii. 20. 
Acts x. 33. 

Q,. 19. How are the administration and receiving of the 
sacraments acts of worship ? 

A. As in them, by the sensible signs of divine appoint- 
ment, Christ, and his benefits, are represented, sealed, and 
applied to believers, Gal. iii. 27. 1 Cor. xi. 26. 

Q. 20. In what sense are church government and dis- 
cipline to be ranked among the ordinances of divine wor- 
ship? 

A. In as far as they are exercised in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, the alone head of the church, according to the 
rule of his word, by church judicatories lawfully consti- 
tuted, Matt, xviii. 20. 

Q. 21. Why are the ministry and the maintenance of it 
placed among religious ordinances ? 

A. Because, as a standing ministry in the church, till 
the end of time, is of express divine institution, Eph. iv. 
1 1 — 1 3 ; so the suitable and comfortable maintenance of it, 
is as expressly appointed, not only in the Old Testament, 
Num. xviii. 21, 24, but likewise in the New, 1 Cor. ix. 13, 



IN THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



51 



14: "Do ye not know, that they which minister about 
holy things, live of the things of the temple'? and they 
which wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar? 
Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach 
the gospel should live of the gospel." 
Q,. 22. What is religious fasting ? 

A. " A religious fast requires total abstinence, not only 
from all food, (unless bodily weakness do manifestly dis- 
able from holding out, till the fast be ended,) but also from 
all worldly labour, discourses, and thoughts, and from all 
bodily delights."* — Josh. vii. 6. Judges xx. 26. 

Q,. 23. Is bodily fasting, or bare abstinence from food, 
any part of religious worship? 

A. Not properly in itself ; but as it is a mean of divine 
appointment, for fitting and disposing us for more spi- 
ritual and solemn exercises. 

Q,. 24. How does fasting appear to be a mean of divine 
appointment \ 

A. From the practice of the saints under the Old Tes- 
tament, Esth. iv. 16; Dan. x. 2, 3; from the testimony of 
Christ, Matt. vi. 17, 18, and xvii. 21; and the example of 
his apostles under the New, Acts xiii. 3 ; and xiv. 23. 

Q,. 25. What are those spiritual and solemn exercises 
for which fasting is designed to dispose us ? 

A. Deep humiliation of soul before the Lord on account 
of sin, Ezra ix. 6 ; free confession of it, Dan. ix. 20, and 
turning from it, Joel ii. 12, as the genuine fruits of our 
taking hold of God's covenant, Jer. 1. 4, 5 ; together with 
an importunate requesting of our gracious God, for that 
which is the particular occasion of the fast, Ps. xxxv. 13. 

Q,. 26. Is religious fasting an occasional or a stated duty? 

A. It is merely occasional and extraordinary, to be ob- 
served as the call of Providence may require and direct. 

Q,. 27. What are the occurrences in providence, which 
are a call to this extraordinary duty ? 

A. " When some great and notable judgments are either 
inflicted upon a people," Dan. ix. 3, 12 — 14, " or apparently 
imminent," 2 Chron. xx. 2 — 4 ; " or, by some extraordi- 
nary provocations notoriously deserved," 1 Sam. vii. 3, 6 ; 
" as also when some special blessing is to be sought and 
obtained," * ver. 5, 8, 10. 

Q,. 28. Is swearing by the name of God an act of imme- 
diate and instituted worship ? 

A. It is undoubtedly : and that either when we devote 
ourselves to God in a" covenant of duties, Deut. vi. 13, or 
declare the truth upon oath, when called thereto : because, 
in both cases the name of God is solemnly interposed and 
invoked, Jer. iv. 2. 

* Directory for the public worship of God, in the article, Concerning 
public solemn Fasting. 



52 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



Q,. 29. To whom are vows to be made 1 

A. To God alone, as the only party and witness in the 
making and performing of them, Ps. Jxxvi. 11: Vow and 
pay unto the Lord your God. 

Qi. 30. What should be the subject matter of our vows 
to God ? 

A. Nothing except what may tend either to promote the 
practice of commanded duty, Ps. cxix. 57, or prevent the 
commission of any sin to which we are more ordinarily 
inclined and addicted, verse 106. 

Q,. 31. What does tfiis commandment require, with re- 
spect to all those ordinances, and parts of worship, which 
God has appointed in his word ? 

A. The receiving and observing them; and keeping 
them pure and entire. 

Q,. 32. What is it to [receive] God's ordinances ! 

A. It is to approve of, and embrace them, as bearing the 
stamp of his authority upon them, Ps. lxxxiv. 1, 2. 

Q. 33. What is it to [observe] them? 

A. It is to set about the practice of them, or to be actu- 
ally employed in them, Ps. lv. 17, and cxix. 164. Luke ii. 33. 

Q,. 34. What is it to keep the ordinances of God [pure 1] 

A. It is to contribute our utmost endeavour to preserve 
them from all mixture of human invention, Deut. xii. 32. 

Q,. 35. What is it to keep them [entire ?] 

A. It is, in the exercise of faith, to attend upon each of 
them in its proper season, so as that one duty may not 
justle out another, Luke i. 6. 

Q,. 36. What does God require of us in this command, 
with reference to all false worship 1 

A. He requires " the disapproving, detesting, opposing 
all false worship, Ps. xvi. 4 ; and according to each one's 
place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idol- 
atry, Deut. vii. 5." * 



Quest. 51. What is forbidden in the second com- 

mandment ? 

Ans. The second commandment forbiddeth the worship- 
ping of God by images, or any other way not appointed 
in his word. 

Q. 1. What are the leading sins forbidden irrthis com- 
mandment 1 
A. Idolatry and will-worship. 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 108. 



IN THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 53 

Q,. 2. What is the idolatry here condemned 1 
A. [The worshipping of God by images :] " Thou shalt 
not make unto thee any graven image," &c. 
Q,. 3. What is an image 1 

A. It is a statue, picture, or likeness of any creature 
whatever. 

Q,. 4. Is it lawful to have images or pictures of mere 
creatures I 

A. Yes, provided they be only for ornament; or the 
design be merely historical, to transmit the memory of 
persons and their actions to posterity. 

Q,. 5. Can any image or representation be made of God 1 

A. No ; it is absolutely impossible ; he being an infinite, 
incomprehensible Spirit, Isa. xl. 18: "To whom will ye 
liken God 1 or, what likeness will ye compare unto him 1" 
If we cannot delineate our own souls, much less the infi- 
nite God ; Acts xvii. 29 : " We ought not to think that the 
Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by 
art and man's device." 

Q,. 6. What judgment should we form of those who have 
devised images of God, or of the persons of the adorable 
Trinity 1 

A. We should adjudge their practice to be both unlaw- 
ful and abominable. 
Q. 7. Why unlawful? 

A. Because directly contrary to the express letter of the 
law in this commandment, and many other scriptures, 
such as, Jer. x. 14, 15; Hos. xiii. 2, and particularly Deut. 
iv. 15 — 19, 23: " Take ye therefore good heed unto your- 
selves, (for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day 
that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst 
of the fire,) lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a 
graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of 
male or female," &c. 

Q,. 8. How is it abominable 7 

A. As debasing the Creator of heaven and earth to the 
rank of his own creatures ; and a practical denial of all 
his infinite perfections, Ps. 1. 21. 

Q,. 9. May we not have a picture of Christ, who has a 
true body 1 ^ 

A. By no means ; because, though he has a true body 
and a reasonable soul, John i. 14, yet his human nature 
subsists in his divine person, which no picture can repre- 
sent, Ps. xlv. 2. 

Q,. 10. Why ought all pictures of Christ, to be abominated 
by Christians 1 

A. Because they are downright lies, representing no 
more than the picture of a mere man : whereas, the true 
Christ is God-man ; " Immanuel, God with us," 1 Tim. iii. 
16. Matt. i. 23. 

5* 



54 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



Q,. 11. Is it lawful to form any inward representation of 
God, or of Christ, upon our fancy, bearing a resemblance 
to any creature whatever 1 

A. By no means ; because this is the very inlet to gross 
outward idolatry : for, when once the Heathens " became 
vain in their imaginations, they presently changed the 
glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to 
corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and 
creeping things," Rom. i. 21, 23. 

Q,. 12. What is it to worship God by images, according 
to the idolatrous practice of Papists ? 

A. It is either to make use of images, as pretended helps 
to devotion; or, to worship God before the images of 
saints, as intercessors with him. 

Q. 13. Can any feigned image of God, or of Christ, be 
helpful in devotion 1 

A. No : it is the Spirit only who helpeth our infirmities 
in all acts of spiritual devotion, Rom. viii. 26 ; and that 
faith which is necessary for acceptance in duty, fixes upon 
the word of the living God, as its sole foundation, and not 
upon dead images, Luke xvi. 31. 

Q,. 14. Will it excuse any from the charge of idolatry, 
that they pretend to worship the true God before images, 
or by them, as means of worship, and not the very images 
themselves 1 

A. Not at all ; because this is a mean of worship ex- 
pressly forbidden in this commandment, which prohibits 
all bowing down before images, upon whatever pretext it 
be : " Thou shalt not boio down thyself to them, nor serve 
them." 

Q,. 1 5. Do they worship images who bow down before 
them, even though it be the true God they intend to wor- 
ship by them 1 

A. In scripture reckoning they do ; Isa. ii. 8,9: " Their 
land is full of idols: they worship the work of their own 
hands. The mean man boweth down, and the great man 
humbleth himself." 

Q,. 16. Was it the ultimate intention of the Israelites in 
the wilderness to pay divine worship to the golden calf 
itself; or, to Jehovah, by it, and before it 1 

A. It was undoubtedly their ultimate intention to wor- 
ship Jehovah, the true God, before that image ; as appears 
from Ex. xxxii. 5 : " When Aaron saw it, he built an altar 
before it ; — and said, " To-morrow is a feast to the Lord" 
(or Jehovah, as it is- in the original.) And yet, because 
they did this, so directly contrary to the very letter of this 
commandment, they are charged with worshipping the 
image itself, verse 8 : — " Theyliave made them a golden 
calf, and have worshipped it" &c. 



IN THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



55 



Q. 17. Do not they who honour the picture of a prince, 
honour the prince himself ? 

A. If the prince forbid the making of his picture, it is a 
contempt of .his authority to have it. God has strictly pro- 
hibited all images for religious purposes, and therefore it 
is impious to have or use them for these ends, Lev. xxvi. 
1, 30. 

Q,. 18. May images be worshipped at all, upon their 
own account 1 

A. No : because they are the work of man's hands : far 
inferior in dignity to man himself, Isa. xliv. 9 — 18. 

Q,. 19. May they be worshipped on account of their 
originals ; or those whom they are designed to represent 1 

A. They may not ; whether designed to represent God, 
or the saints. 

Q,. 20. Why may they not be worshipped as they are 
designed to represent God? 

A. Because he never put his name in them ; but declares 
his greatest hatred and detestation of them, Jer. xliv. 
2—9. 

Q,. 21. Why may they not be worshipped as they are 
designed to represent eminent saints ] 

A. Because saints, however eminent, are only mere 
creatures ; and therefore cannot be the objects of worship, 
either in themselves, or by their images, Acts xiv. 14, 15. 

Q,. 22. Can saints in heaven be intercessors for sinners 
on earth ] 

A. No : because intercession being founded on satisfac- 
tion, none but Christ can be the intercessor, as none but 
he is the propitiation for our sins, 1 John ii. 1, 2. 

Q. 23. Is it lawful, as some plead, to have images or 
pictures in churches, though not for worship, yet for in- 
struction, and raising the affections 1 

A. No : because God has expressly prohibited not only 
the worshipping but the making of any image whatever on 
a religious account ; and the setting them up in churches, 
cannot but have a natural tendency to beget a sacred 
veneration for them ; and therefore ought to be abstained 
from, as having, at least, the appearance of evil, 1 Thess. 
v. 22. 

Q,. 24. May they not be placed in churches for beauty 
and ornament 1 

A. No : the proper ornament of churches is the sound 
preaching of the gospel, and the pure dispensation of the 
sacraments, and other ordinances of divine institution. 

Q,. 25. Were not the images of the cherubim placed in 
the tabernacle and temple, by the command of God him- 
self] 

A. Yes ; but out of all hazard of any abuse, being placed 
in the holy of holies, where none of the people ever came : 



56 SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 

they were instituted by God himself, which images are 
not; and they belonged to the typical and ceremonial 
worship, which is now quite abolished. 

Q,. 26. What do you understand by will-worship, the 
other leading sin forbidden in this command ? 

A. It is the worshipping God in [any other way not ap- 
pointed in his word.] 

Q,. 27. Should there be an express appointment in the 
word for every part of divine worship in which we en- 
gage? 

A. Undoubtedly there should ; otherwise we are guilty 
of innovating upon the worship of God, and prescribing 
rules to the Almighty, which is both displeasing to him, 
and unprofitable to ourselves, Matt. xv. 9. 

Q,. 28. Who are they that are guilty of innovating upon 
the worship of God ? 

A. All they who presumptuously annex their own super- 
stitious inventions to the divine institutions, under pre- 
tence of their being teaching significant ceremonies ; as 
they of the Popish and Episcopal persuasions do. 

Q,. 29. What are these significant ceremonies which 
they add to the instituted ordinances of God's worship? 

A. The sign of the cross in baptism; kneeling at re- 
ceiving the sacrament of the supper ; erecting altars in 
churches ; and bowing at the name of Jesus, are a few 
of many. 

d. 30. Why may not such ceremonies be used, when 
they are designed for exciting devotion, and beautifying 
the worship of God ? 

A. Because God has expressly forbidden the least ad- 
dition to or abatement from the order and directions he 
himself has given in his word concerning his own wor- 
ship, Deut. xii. 30 — 32 : " What thing soever I command 
you, observe to do it : thou shalt not add thereunto, nor 
diminish from it." 

Q. 31. Were there not significant ceremonies in the 
Jewish worship, under the Old Testament? 

A. Yes ; but they were of express divine appointment ; 
and by the same appointment abolished in the death and 
resurrection of Christ, Heb. ix. 1 — 15. 

Q. 32. May not significant ceremonies be founded on 
1 Cor. xiv. 40 : " Let all things be done decently and in 
order ?" 

A. No : because that text speaks only of the decent and 
orderly observance of the ordinances of God already in- 
stituted, and not in the least of any thing new to be added 
as a part of worship. 

Q,. 33. How may we be further guilty of a breach of 
this commandment, than by idolatry and will-worship ? 

A. When we neglect, Heb. x, 25, contemn, Matt. xxii. 5, 



OP THE REASONS ANNEXED, &C. 



57 



hinder, chap, xxiii. 13, or oppose the worship and ordi- 
nances which God has appointed in his word, 1 Thess. ii. 
16. 



Quest. 52 . What are the reasons annexed to the second 
commandment ? 

Ans. The reasons annexed to the second commandment, 
are, God's sovereignty over us, his propriety in us and 
the zeal he hath to his own worship. 

Q,. 1. Why does our Catechism make mention of Reasons 
annexed to this and the three following commandments 1 

A. Because God himself has been pleased to subjoin to 
each of these precepts, the reasons, arguments, or motives, 
that should influence our obedience to them. 

Q,. 2. How many reasons are annexed to this second 
commandment ? 

A. Three ; contained in these words, " I the Lord thy 
God am a jealous God." 

Q,. 3. Which is the first of these reasons 1 

A. It is [God's sovereignty over us,] in these words, J the 
Lord ; or, / Jehovah. 

Q,. 4. W^hat do you understand by God's sovereignty 
over us ? 

A. It is his absolute supreme power, or right of dominion 
over us, as his creatures, Rom. ix. 20, 21, by* which he can 
dispose of, ver. 22, 23, and prescribe to us as seems to him 
good, Deut. vi. 17. 

Q,. 5. In what lies the strength of this first reason for 
worshipping God by means of his own appointment ) 

A. It lies in this, that being our sovereign Lord, it must 
be his sole prerogative to prescribe to us the means of his 
own worship ; and, consequently, that it must be our duty 
to make his pleasure in this, both the rule and reason of 
our punctual observance of what he enjoins, Ps. xcv. 2, 3. 

Q,. 6. What is the second reason annexed to this com- 
mandment 7 

A. It is [his propriety in us,] in these words, Thy God. 
Q. 7. What other propriety has God in us than by right 
of creation 1 

A. He has a propriety likewise by right of redemption, 
intimated in the preface to the commands, " I am the Lord 
Thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of 
Egypt, out of the house of bondage," Ex. xx. 2. 

Q,. 8. Is it his propriety by right of creation, or by right 



58 



OF THE REASONS ANNEXED 



of redemption, that constitutes the federal relation between 
him and us 1 

A. It is his propriety by right of redemption, Isa. xliii. 
1 : "I have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thy name : 
thou art Mine.''' 

Q,. 9. What influence should his propriety in us, as his 
people, have upon our receiving and observing the ordi- 
nances of his worship 1 

A. If we are his people, we are ransomed by the blood 
of his only begotten Son, and so under the strongest ties 
of duty and gratitude, to cleave to the precise manner of 
worship prescribed in his word, rejecting all other modes 
and forms whatever, Josh. xxiv. 24. 

Q,. 10. What is the third reason annexed to this com- 
mandment ] 

A. It is [the zeal he hath to his own worship,] in these 
words, — / am a jealous God. 

Q,. 11. In what sense is God said to be a jealous God 1 

A. Jealousy is ascribed to him (after the manner of men,) 
to denote that he puts no confidence in his creatures, Deut. 
v. 29 ; that he has his eye upon them ; and is highly offend- 
ed when they slight him, and bestow that love upon any 
other, which is due to him alone, chap. xxii. 15 — 26. 

Q. 12. What is it for God to have [zeal] for his own wor- 
ship] 

A. It is to have such a regard for the ordinances of his 
own institution, as highly to resent or revenge any addi- 
tion to, or alteration of them ; of which there is an awful 
instance in Nadab and Abihu, who offered strange fire 
before the Lofd, Lev. x. 1 — 4. 

Q,. 13. In what does God manifest his zeal for his wor- 
ship? 

A. Both by way of threatening, and by way of promise. 

Q,. 14. What does God threaten as a testimony of his 
zeal for his worship 1 

A. To visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, 
to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him. 

Q. 15. What is it to visit the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children'? 

A. It is to inflict punishment upon the children for the 
faults and offences of their fathers. 

Q. 16. Are there any scripture examples of God's doing 
so? 

A. As to temporal punishments there are: — Seven of 
Saul's sons were hanged before the Lord, for his offence 
in slaying the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. xxi. 8, 9 ; and for the 
sins of Jeroboam, his whole house was utterly extinguish- 
ed, 1 Kings xv. 29, 30. 

Q. 17. Whether are temporal judgments only, or spi- 



TO THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 



59 



ritual and eternal plagues also, intended in this threaten- 
ing? 

A. Spiritual and eternal plagues are also intended, 
Matt. xxv. 41. 

Q,. 18. How does it appear that spiritual and eternal 
judgments are included in this threatening? 

A. It appears from this, that the punishment threatened 
should bear some proportion to the mercy promised ; so 
that if the mercy promised be of a spiritual and eternal 
nature, the judgments threatened must be of the same 
kind. 

Q,. 19. How does the scripture illustrate this? 

A. By the issue of the final sentence at the great day, 
which is, that the wicked " go away into everlasting pun- 
ishment, but the righteous into life eternal," Matt. xxv. 46. 

Q,. 20. How does it consist with the justice of God, to 
inflict spiritual and eternal judgments upon children for 
the sins of their parents ? 

A. It is entirely consistent with it ; because the children 
punished with spiritual and eternal judgments, are only 
such as have shown themselves heirs to their fathers' sins, 
either by copying them over, Jer. xxxi. 29, 30, or not dis- 
approving of, and mourning for them ; by which means 
their fathers' sins become their own, Ps. xlix. 13. 

Q,. 21. How can the visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children, be reconciled with Ezek. xviii. 20: 
" The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father]" 

A. This passage in Ezekiel is to be understood of the 
son who does not tread in the steps of his wicked father ; 
as is evident from ver. 14, 17: 11 If he beget a son that seeth 
all his father's sins, and doth not such like, he shall not die 
for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live ;" whereas 
the threatening in this commandment respects wicked 
children, who copy after the example of their graceless 
parents, as Nadab the son of Jeroboam did, who " walked 
in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made 
Israel to sin," 1 Kings xv. 26. 

Q,. 22. How does it appear from the threatening itself, 
that this is the meaning? 

A. Because the children on whom God visits the iniquity 
of their fathers are expressly said to be "the third and 
fourth generation of them that hate him." 

Q,. 23. Why does God threaten to visit the iniquity of 
the -fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth gene- 
ration only, of them that hate him ; and not to all succeed- 
ing generations of such children ? 

A. Not but that the haters of God to all generations 
shall meet with deserved punishment ; but the threatening 
is limited to the third and fourth generation, for a greater 



60 



OF THE REASONS ANNEXED, &C. 



judgment upon wicked parents, some of whom may live 
to see their posterity of these generations, and to read 
their own sin in the punishment of their offspring whom 
they have seduced ; as Zedekiah, for his wickedness, saw 
his sons, and the princes of Judah, slain before his eyes, 
Jer. lii. 3, 10. 

Q. 24. What if such wicked parents should die, before 
they see their third and fourth generations 1 

A. In that case, if their consciences are not quite seared, 
they will die under the dread and fear of the judgments 
here threatened, befalling their children, Hos. ii. 4 ; as well 
as of the fiery indignation which shall devour themselves, 
Heb. x. 27. 

Q,. 25. May not God sometimes visit the iniquities of the 
breakers of this commandment upon their godly children ? 

A. He will never visit the iniquities of the fathers upon 
their godly children with spiritual and eternal judgments, 
though sometimes he may do it with temporal calamities : 
as no doubt many pious Israelites were carried captive to 
Babylon for the sins of their fathers, Lam. v. 7; which, 
nevertheless, was for their real good, Jer. xxiv. 5. 

Q,. 26. What may we learn from this threatening to 
visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children ? 

A. That as nothing can be more cruel than for parents 
to set a bad example before their children, Jer. ix. 14, 15; 
so the example of forefathers will not vindicate their pos- 
terity in the way of sin, particularly in the practice of any 
corrupt or false worship, Ezek. xx. 18, 21. 

Q,. 27. What is it, on the other hand, that God promises 
as an evidence of his zeal for his worship I 

A. To show mercy to thousands of them that love him, 
and keep his commandments. 

Q. 28. Who are they that truly love God? 

A. They who, from a faith of his own operation, have 
complacency and delight in him as their own God and 
portion, Ps. v. 11. 

Q,. 29. What is it to keep his commandments'? 

A. It is to essay a uniform and self-denied obedience to 
the law as a rule, because Christ has fulfilled it as a cove- 
nant, Rom. vii. 4. 

Q,. 30. What mercy does God show to them that love 
him, and keep his commandments ? 

A. He shows strengthening, Ps. xciv. 18, comforting, Ps. 
xxxi. 7, directing, Ex. xv. 13, and persevering mercy to 
them, 2 Sam. vii. 15. 

Q. 31. Does God show mercy to children, because they 
are the offspring of godly parents'? 

A. No ; but merely because so it pleases him, Rom. ix. 
15: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." 



, DUTIES REQUIRED IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT 61 



Q. 32. What benefit then have the children of godly pa- 
rents beyond others 1 

A. They have the privilege of a religious education, 
Gen. xviii. 19; are the children of many prayers, Job i. 5 ; 
and may plead the promise, I will be a God to thee, and to 
thy seed after thee, Gen. xvii. 7. 

Q,. 33. Why does the threatening run only to the third 
and fourth generation of them that hate him, and yet the 
promise to thousands of them that love him 1 

A. To show that God has far greater pleasure in the 
exercise of mercy, than in the venting of wrath, Ezek. 
xxxiii. 1 1 ; and likewise for an encouragement, both co pa- 
rents and children, to aim at " walking in all the command- 
ments and ordinances of the Lord blameless," Luke i. 6. 



Quest. 53. Which is the third commandment ? 

Ans. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take 
the name of the Lord thy God in vain : for the Lord 
will not Iwld him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

Quest. 54. What is required in the third command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The third commandment requireth the holy and 
reverend use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, 
word, and works. 

Q. 1. What does this commandment require in general? 

A. That the instituted means of God's worship~be used 
in a right manner, becoming the majesty of him with 
whom we have to do, Ps. v. 7. 

Q,. 2. What is the duty directly opposite to the sin of 
taking God's name in vain ? 

A. It is the sanctifying of his name, Isa. viii. 13: " Sanc- 
tify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear 
and your dread." 

Q. 3. What do you understand by the name of God ! 

A. Every thing by which he is pleased to make himself 
known. 

Q,. 4. By what does God make himself known 
A. By his [names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, 
and works.] 

Q,. 5. Does God need any name to distinguish him from 
all others ! 

A. No ; because he is a most singular Being, quite well 
Part II— 6 



62 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



distinguished from all others, by the infinity and absolute 
perfection of his nature, Isa. xliv. 6. 

Q,. 6. Why then are [names] ascribed to him in scrip- 
ture 1 

A. That some knowledge of his nature and perfections 
may be conveyed to us, Acts ix. 15. 

Q. 7. What are the names by which he conveys the 
knowledge of himself to us? 

A. He conveys the knowledge of his absolute, eternal, 
and immutable essence by the names of Jehovah, Ex. vi. 
3, J ah, Ps. lxviii. 4, and, I AM, Ex. iii. 14 ; the knowledge 
of his excellency and sovereignty, by the names God and 
Lord, Deut. vi. 4; and the knowledge of the essential re- 
lation of the three divine persons among themselves, by 
the names of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Matt, xxviii. 19. 

Q. 8. Is there any difference between God's names and 
his titles 1 

A. His names set forth what he is in himself ; his titles, 
what he is to others. 

Q. 9. How are God's [titles] commonly distinguished ? 

A. Into those that belong to him as the God of nature, 
and those which are ascribed to him as the God of grace. 

Q,. 10. What are the titles that belong to him as the God 
of nature] 

A. They are such as these, The Creator of the ends of 
the earth, Isa. xl. 28 ; the Preserver of men, Job vii. 20 ; 
King of nations, Jer. x. 7, and Lord of hosts, Isa. i. 9. 

Q,. 11. What are the titles that are ascribed to him as 
the God of grace ! 

A. They are the following among others : The God of 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Ex. iii. 6 ; the Holy One of 
Israel, Isa. xlviii. 17; King of saints, Rev. xv. 3; the Fa- 
ther of mercies, 2 Cor. i. 3 ; the hearer of prayer, Ps. lxv. 
2 ; and the God of salvation, Ps. lxviii. 20. 

Q,. 12. Which is the most common and ordinary title 
ascribed to God under the New Testament I 

A. It is the infinitely amiable and encouraging title of 
" the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. i. 
3. 1 Pet. i. 3. 

Q, 13. What comfortable views may we take of God, as 
he is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ] 

A. In this light we may view him as a reconciled God, 
2 Cor. v. 19; a pardoning and accepting God through 
Christ, Eph. i. 6, 7 ; and as our God and Father in him, 
John xx. 17, — " I ascend unto my Father and your Father, 
and to my God and your God." 

Q,. 14. W T hat is to be understood by God's [attributes'!] 

A. The perfections and excellencies which are ascribed 
to him as the essential properties of his nature. * 

* See the divine attributes explained in the 4th Quest. What is God ? 



IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



63 



Q,. 15. What are God's [ordinances'?] 

A. The reading, preaching, and hearing of the word; 
the administration of the sacraments ; prayer and praise ; 
religious fasting and thanksgiving. * 

Q,. 16. What are the ordinances in which the name of 
God is more immediately interposed ! 

A. The name of God is more immediately interposed in 
oaths, vows, and lots. 

Q,. 17. What is an oath] 

A. It is an act of religious worship, in which God is 
solemnly invoked, or called upon, as a witness for the con- 
firmation of some matter in doubt. 

Q,. 18. Why is it said to be an act of religious worship? 

A. Because there is, or ought to be, in every formal 
oath, a solemn invocation of the name of God, Deut. vi. 
13 : " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God — and shalt swear 
by his name." 

J 9. What is imported in calling upon God as a wit- 
ness in an oath 1 

A. It imports, that we acknowledge him to be the infal- 
lible searcher of our hearts ; the powerful avenger of all 
perjury and falsehood ; and at the same time to be infi- 
nitely superior to us ; " for men verily swear by the 
greater," Heb. vi. 16. 

Q,. 20. In what cases should an oath be required 1 

A. Only in cases that are doubtful, when the truth of 
things cannot be known with certainty any other way. 

Q,. 21. What is the end of an oath in a lawful judica- 
ture 1 

A. It is for confirmation of the truth formerly doubtful ; 
and for terminating strife and contradiction among men. 
" An oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife," 
Heb. vi. 16. 

Q,. 22. What are the necessary qualifications of a law- 
ful oath 1 

A. That we swear — " in truth, in judgment, and in right- 
eousness," Jer. iv. 2. 

Q,. 23. What is it to swear in truth 1 

A. It is to take special care, that what is sworn be 
strictly agreeable to truth; and that there be an exact 
agreement between the sentiments of our minds, and the 
words of our mouth, without the least equivocation, or 
mental reservation. 

Q,. 24. What is it to equivocate, or dissemble in an oath 1 

A. It is to have an inward reserved meaning and sense 
of words, contrary to the common and ordinary accepta- 
tion of them, and that with a design to deceive. 

* See all these explained in Quest. 50. What is required in the second 
commandment ? 



64 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Q,. 25. In what consists the evil and sinfulness of this 
practice ? 

A. It destroys the nature and end of an oath, which is 
to bring forth nothing but the truth : it opens a wide door 
to all falsehood and lying, contrary to Eph. iv. 25 ; " Where- 
fore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his 
neighbour ;" and it unhinges the firmest bonds of society, 
that none can put confidence in another. 

Q,. 26. What is it to swear in judgment 1 

A. It is to swear with knowledge and deliberation ; se- 
riously pondering in our mind, what it is we are about to 
swear, and the solemn appeal we make to God in the oath, 
together with the dangerous risk we run, if we swear 
either falsely or ignorantly. • 

Q. 27. What is it to swear in righteousness ? 

A. It is to give our oath only in things lawful, or such 
as are consistent with piety towards God, and equity to- 
wards man ; and likewise to give it on a lawful occasion. 

Q. 28. When is a civil oath taken upon a lawful occa- 
sion ? 

A. When it is required by a lawful magistrate, for the 
ending of strife and debate, and the impartial administra- 
tion of justice. 

Q,. 29. How do you prove that it is warrantable for 
Christians under the New Testament, to declare the truth 
upon oath, when called to it 1 

A. From this, that an oath, being no part of the cere- 
monial law, there can be no reason given, why it was 
lawful to swear under the Old Testament, which will not 
apply in the like circumstances now ; especially as there 
are approved examples of the use of an oath under the 
New Testament, 2 Cor. i. 23. Rev. x. 6. Heb. vi. 16. 

Q,. 30. Does not our Lord say, Matt. v. 34, — Swear not 
at all ; and the apostle James, chap. v. 12, Above all things, 
swear not 1 

A. These texts manifestly condemn profane swearing 
in ordinary conversation, and not lawful swearing in judg- 
ment, when called to do it ; as appears from the injunction 
subjoined in both places, "Let your communication be, 
Yea, yea ; Nay, nay." 

Q,. 31. What is the ordinary outward form or sign, in 
scripture, of appealing to God in an oath ? 

A. It is the lifting up of the hand ; as appears from Gen. 
xiv. 22. Dan. xii. 7. Rev. x. 5, 6. 

Gt. 32. What are we to think of that mode of swearing, 
by touching and kissing the gospel? 

A. It is evidently superstitious, if not idolatrous, and 
borrowed from the heathens, who worshipped their idols 
in this manner, Job xxxi. 27. Hos. xiii. 2. 



IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



65 



Q,. 33. How are oaths commonly distinguished as to 
their kinds ? 

A. Into assertory and promissory oaths. 

Q,. 34. What is an assertory oath ] 

A. It is an invoking God as a witness to the truth of 
what we declare about things past or present. 

Q,. 35. Why called assertory ] 

A. Because the party swearing, without any promise 
for the future, only asserts the things to have been, or to 
be at present, as he then swears. 

Q,. 36. What is the chief use of assertory oaths'? 

A. It is to determine suits and processes in human 
courts about matters of fact. 

Q. 37. What is a promissory oath 1 

A. It is the invoking God as a witness to the perform- 
ance of a thing for the time to come, either absolutely or 
conditionally. 

Q,. 38. Why called promissory 1 

A. Because the party swearing promises or engages to 
do something hereafter. 

Q. 39. What should be the subject matter of assertory 
oaths 1 ; 

A. Such things as are both true and weighty, and which 
we know to be so. 

Q,. 40. What should be the subject matter of promissory 
oaths'? 

A. Such things as to our knowledge, are lawful, possi- 
ble, and in our power to perform. 
Q,. 41. How may promissory oaths be subdivided? 
A. Into civil and religious. 

Q,. 42. To what has a civil promissory oath a respect ? 

A. To contracts and engagements among men, whether 
of a more private or public nature. 

Q,. 43. May not the supreme magistrate require an alle- 
giance of his subjects, or an oath of fidelity to obey his 
just and lawful commands T 

A. It appears evidently from scripture that he may, 
Eccl. viii. 2 : " I counsel thee to keep the king's command- 
ment, and that in regard of the oath of God," 1 Chron. 
xxix. 24. 

Q,. 44. To what has a religious promissory oath a re- 
spect 1 

A. It respects the duties and services we owe more 
immediately to God, and the interests of religion.* 
Q,. 45. In what lies the obligation of an oath? 
A. In the strong tie or bond that the party swearing 

* Of religious promissory oaths, see afterwards on this same Question, 
under the head of vows. - . 

6* 



66 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



comes under, to the performance of some duty en- 
gaged to. 

Q,. 46. How many fold is the obligation of a promissory 
oath? 

A. Two-fold: one to the person to whom the oath is 
made, as a party ; the other to God, by whom the oath is 
made, as a witness and avenger. 

Q. 47. What is the difference between the obligation of 
a promise, and the obligation of an oath? 

A. A man is bound to perform his promise as well as 
his oath : but an oath being an immediate invocation of 
the name of God as a witness and judge, it is, on this ac- 
count, of a stronger obligation, and the breach of it a more 
heinous sin, than the breach of a simple promise. 

Q. 48. Does not all obligation to duty respect a future 
time in which it is to be performed ] 

A. It necessarily does so, in the nature of the thing ; 
although, in some cases, the time of performance may be 
very short after the obligation is contracted. 

Q,. 49. Under what obligation does a person come in 
an assertory oath, which respects the time past or pre- 
sent? 

A. He comes under an obligation to declare the truth, 
and nothing but the truth, in what he is about to say ; or, 
that his words shall exactly agree with his mind. 

Q. 50. Under what obligation does a person come in a 
promissory oath, which respects the time to come ] 

A. He comes under an obligation to endeavour, as far 
as in him lies, to fulfil that which he has sworn ; or, to 
perform all that he has promised by oath, Num. xxx. 2 : 
"If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to 
bind his soul with a bond ; he shall not break his word ; 
he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his 
mouth." 

Q,. 51. Is an oath about a thing lawful and possible ob- 
ligatory, even though it be extorted by force or fear 1 

A. Undoubtedly it is : because of the reverence due to 
God, by whom the oath is made as a witness and judge, 
Lev. xix. 12: "Ye shall not swear by my name falsely; 
neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God : I am the 
Lord." Matt. v. 33 : " Thou shalt not forswear thyself, 
but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths." 

Q.. 52. Is a person bound to pay such a sum to a robber 
as he has promised by his oath, for the ransom of his life 1 

A. He is certainly bound to pay it; because, of two 
penal evils, he voluntarily made choice of the least ; to 
part with his money, rather than his life ; accordingly, the 
righteous man sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth 
not, Ps. xv. 4. 

Q. 53. Is an oath, which is lawful as to the matter of it, 



IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



67 



though sinful as to the manner, and even obtained by- 
deceit, or rashly made, binding and obligatory upon the 
person who has sworn it ? 

A. Yes : as is evident from the instance of the Gibeon- 
ites, who deceived Israel into a league with them by oath, 
and yet their oath was binding, Josh. ix. 14 — 20. 

Q,. 54. Are oaths and contracts to be kept with Hea- 
thens and heretics 1 

A. No doubt they should, as well as with others. — Ze- 
dekiah, king of Judah, was severely punished for his breach 
of oath to the king of Babylon, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 13. Ezek. 
xvii. 16. Besides, if infidelity and heresy do not nullify 
the marriage oath, neither ought they to make void any 
other lawful contract. 

Q,. 55. What is a vow } 

A. It is a voluntary and deliberate engagement to God 
only as party, and that respecting matters of a sacred or 
religious character, Ps. cxxxii. 2-— 6. 

Q,. 56. What is the difference between an oath and a 
vow ! 

A. In an oath, man is generally the party, and God is 
brought in as the witness : but in a vow, God himself is 
always the sole party, besides his being a witness, Ps. L 
14. Isa. xix. 21. 

Q,. 57. What is the subject matter of vows 1 

A. Only things religious ; or such as relate immediately 
to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls. 

Q,. 58. How ought vows to be entered into 1 

A. In the exercise of faith ; or, in the strength of the 
grace that is in Christ Jesus, John xv. 5 ; without which 
there can be no performance, Phil. iv. 13. 

Qu 59. How many kinds of vows are there? 

A. T wo ; personal and social. 

Q,. 60. What is a personal vow ! 

A. It is the act of an individual, or single person, taking 
hold of God's covenant of grace, or acquiescing in it as 
made with Christ, who is the all of it ; and thus engaging 
to be the Lord's, and to essay the practice of all duty in 
his strength, Isa. xliv. 5 : " One shall say, I am the Lord's," 
Ps. cxix. 106: "I have sworn, and will perform it, that I 
will keep thy righteous judgments."* 

Q,. 61. WhatTs a social vow] 

A. It is the joint concurrence of several individuals in 
the same exercise as in a personal one, openly avouching 

* This is what is commonly called Personal Covenanting. Whoever 
wants to be instructed in the true nature and right manner of setting 
about this necessary duty, let him carefully peruse Mr. Boston's Memo- 
rial concerning personal and family fasting, subjoined to his View of the 
covenant of grace, chap. II. sect. iii. direction 8. 



68 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



the Lord to be their God, Deut. xxvi. 17; where Moses, 
speaking of all Israel, says, " Thou hast avouched the 
Lord this day to be thy God, to walk in his ways," &c. 

Q,. 62. Is our obligation to moral duties increased, by 
our vowing or engaging to perform them 1 

A. Although it is impossible that our obligation to moral 
duty can be increased by any deed of ours, beyond what 
it is already by the law of God, which is of the highest 
authority ; yet by reason of our own voluntary and su- 
peradded engagement, this obligation from the law may 
make a deeper impression than before, Ps. xliv. 17, 18, 
and our sins receive a higher aggravation, if we either 
omit the duty engaged to, or commit the evil opposite to 
it, Deut. xxiii. 21, 22. 

Q,. 63. What is a lot, or lotting ? 

A. It is the laying aside the use of all means or second 
causes, and appealing directly to God, that he may, by his 
immediate providence, give a present decision respecting 
any matter in question ; " for the lot is cast into the lap ; 
but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord," Prov. 
xvi. 33. 

Q,. 64. Why are lots said to be an appeal to God 1 

A. Because, by casting of lots between two or more 
persons, or things, we, as it were, require him immediately 
to declare his mind by the event, which way the decision 
shall go, Acts i. 24, 26 : " Show whether of these two thou 
hast chosen. And the lot fell on Matthias." 

65. In what cases may a decision be put upon the 
event of a lot 1 

A. Only in cases of great weight and absolute necessity, 
Josh. vii. 13, 14. 

Q. 66. Why should a lot be used only in cases of great 
weight and moment ] 

A. Because a lot being a material or implicit invoking 
of God to give a decision, it would be a wicked profana- 
tion of his name, to call him to determine in trifles, or 
things of little or no value. 

0,7 67. Why should it be used only in cases of absolute 
necessity 7 

A. Because, where human prudence can determine, it 
would be a tempting of God, to require his decision. 

Q,. 68. What then is the end of lots 1 

A. It is the same as of oaths, to determine finally in mo- 
mentous controversies, that which can be decided in no 
other way, Prov. xviii. 18: "The lot causeth contention 
to cease, and parteth between the mighty." 

Q,. 69. In what manner ought lots to be used ! 

A. In a most reverential manner, as in the presence of 
God, who pronounces the sentence ; and in whose deci- 



IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



59 



sion all parties ought cheerfully to acquiesce, Acts i. 24, 
26 : " And they prayed — and gave forth their lots." 

Q,. 70. What is the [word] in which the name of God is 
declared ! 

A. The scriptures of the Old and New Testament. 

Q. 71. What is meant by God's [works] in this answer? 

A. His works of creation and providence; which last 
includes redemption. 

Q,. 72. What does this commandment require, with re- 
ference to God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, 
and works '? 

A. [The holy and reverend use of] them. 

Q,. 73. What is it to make a holy and reverend use of 
these 1 

A. It is, in all our meditations, speeches, and writings, 
to have the most profound respect and regard for every 
thing, by which God manifests his name and glory, Deut. 
xxviii. 58. 

Q,. 74. When do we essay to make a reverend use of 
God's names, titles, and attributes 1 

A. When we view them as in Christ, and in this light 
draw virtue from them, for the increase of our faith and 
holiness, Ex. xxiii. 20, 21: Obey his voice — for my name 
is in him. 

Q,. 75. When do we endeavour a holy and reverend 
use of the ordinances 1 

A. When we view God as present in them, Matt, xxviii. 
20 ; and attend or perform them with a single eye to his 
glory, Ps. Ixxxvi. 9. 

Q,. 76. When do we use the word in a holy and reverend 
manner ? 

A. When we search and believe the scriptures, as testify- 
ing of Christ, John v. 39 ; and are directed by them as a 
lamp to our feet, and a light to our path, Ps. cxix. 105. 

Q,. 77. When do we essay to make a holy and reverend 
use of the works of God ? 

A. When we are enabled to make suitable improvement 
of the bright displays he has made of his glorious excel- 
lencies, in creation, providence, and redemption, so as to 
walk humbly and thankfully before him, Rev. xv. 3, 4: 
"Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Al- 
mighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord ! and glorify thy name 1 
for thou only art holy." 



70 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



Quest. 55. What is forbidden in the third com- 
mand rati d 1 

Axs. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning 
or abasing of any thing whereby God maketh himself 
known. 

Q. 1. What do you understand by [profaning or abusing 
of any thing whereby God makes himself know T n 1] 

A. It is the using of his names, titles, attributes, ordi- 
nances, word, and works, in a rash, irreverent, and unbe- 
coming manner. 

Q,. 2. How are God's names, titles, and attributes, pro- 
faned or abused by men ? 

A. Many ways : particularly, " by blasphemy, perjury, 
sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots." * 

Q. 3. What is blasphemy ? 

A. It is speaking in a reproachful, reviling, and under- 
valuing manner of God, Isa. xxxvi. 20 ; of his word, Acts 
xiii. 45 ; or of any of his providential dispensations, Ezek. 
xviii. 25. 

Q,. 4. What is the aggravation of this sin? 

A. It is an atheistical contempt of the most high God ; — 
the greatest affront that can be done him by his creatures, 
Ex. v. 2. 

Q,. 5. May not persons be guilty of blasphemy in their 
hearts, though never uttered in words 1 

A. Yes, undoubtedly they may ; either when atheistical 
thoughts of him are harboured, Ps. xiv. 1 ; or, disparaging 
and unbecoming conceptions of him entertained, Ps. x. 11 
and 1. 21. 

Q,. 6. What w r as the punishment of blasphemy, at the 
hand of man, by the law of God? 

A. It was death, Lev. xxiv. 16: "He that blasphemeth 
the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death." 

Q,. 7. What is perjury ? 

A. It is a breach or violation of any solemn oath or vow, 
we have entered into, or come under, Matt. v. 33 : " Thou 
shalt not forswear thyself." 

Q,. 8. When are persons guilty of perjury in assertory 
oaths ? 

A. When they assert such a thing, upon oath to be true, 
which yet they know to be false, like the witness against 
Naboth, 1 Kings xxi. 13 ; or even when they are doubtful 
and uncertain about the truth of what they are swearing ; 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 113. 



IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



71 



like the witnesses against Christ, whose witnessing did not 
agree together, Mark xiv. 58, 59. 

Q. 9. When are persons guilty of perjury in promissory 
oaths 1 

A. When they promise upon oath what they have no 
mind to perform ; or when, without any insuperable im- 
pediment laid in their way, or any just and relevant excuse, 
they fail in the performance : as in the perjury of Zedekiah 
king of Judah, who broke his oath to the king of Babylon, 
Ezek. xvii. 16. 

Q,. 10. Is a person guilty of perjury, if he swears to do a 
thing impossible or unlawful ] 

A. Surely he is : for, if he swear to a thing impossible, 
he swears to a manifest lie ; if he swear to do a thing un- 
lawful, he is doubly perjured; both in making such an 
oath, and in fulfilling it, as was the case with Herod, Matt, 
xiv. 9, 10. 

Q,. 11. What is the aggravation of the sin of perjury? 

A. It not only breaks all the bonds of society among 
men, but impeaches the omniscience of God himself, calling 
him to attest what conscience knows to be an untruth ; 
and therefore God threatens, that his " curse shall enter 
into the house of him that sweareth falsely — and shall con- 
sume it, with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof," 
Zech. v. 3, 4. 

Ci. 12. How is God's name profaned by sinful cursings] 
A. When God's wrath and vengeance are imprecated 
upon ourselves or others ; or when the devil is in any 
manner invoked for harm. 

Q,. 13. For what do wicked persons wish, when they 
imprecate the wrath and vengeance of God upon them- 
selves 1 

A. They do, in effect, pray, that God would hasten their 
everlasting destruction, and that their damnation may not 
slumber, but be speedily inflicted, 2 Pet. ii. 3. 

Q,. 14. Do the devils themselves venture to wish for this 1 

A. No : they believe that there is farther wrath awaiting 
them at the judgment of the great day ; and they tremble 
at the forethoughts of it, James ii. 19. Jude verse 6. 

Q,. 15. What is the evil of imprecating divine vengeance 
upon others ? 

A. It is a piece of the most profane, presumptuous, and 
impudent freedom with the Majesty of heaven ; as if he 
were bound to empty the vials of his wrath upon our 
fellow creatures, at our pleasure, and that in order to gra- 
tify our passionate revenge upon them, 2 Sam. xvi. 5, 8. 

Q,. 16. Is it not a most horrid and abominable wicked- 
ness to call or invoke the devil to take ourselves or others ] 

A. Surely it is ; for it is a putting the devil in God's stead, 
or an employing of him to do God's work for him, even 



72 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



when he is delaying to do it himself; which is no less than 
devil-worship, and we ought not to have fellowship with 
devils, 1 Cor. x. 20. 

(&. 17. How is the name of God abused by sinful oaths? 

A. When men take unlawful oaths that may be imposed 
upon them, and when, in their ordinary conversation, 
they swear by God, or by any thing by which he makes 
himself known ; contrary to Matt. v. 37 : " Let your 
communications be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay : for whatsoever 
is more than these, cometh of evil :" or of the evil one. 

Q,. 18. In what lies the heinousness of swearing in com- 
mon discourse] 

A. It is a most heaven-daring wickedness, even an insult- 
ing of the great God, our maker, to his face; a crime, 
which we dare not, without danger, be guilty of against 
our fellow creatures; and which is neither attended with 
the allurements of pleasure nor temptations of profit. 

Q. 19. Is it a taking of God's name in vain, to swear by 
the creatures ; such as, by heaven, by our life, soul, con- 
science, or the like ! 

A. Yes : because swearing by any of his creatures, is 
interpretatively a swearing by God the Creator and Pre- 
server of all things, Matt, xxiii. 2 : "He that sweareth by 
Heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that 
sitteth thereon." 

Q,. 20. Did not Joseph, who was a good man, swear re- 
peatedly by the life of Pharaoh? Gen. xlii. 15, 16. 

A. The goodness of the man did not excuse the sinful- 
ness of the action : we are not to do evil, that good may 
come, Rom. iii. 8. For, though it may be alleged, that to 
say, By the life of Pharaoh, is no more than to say, As 
sure as Pharaoh lives ; yet the words themselves being in 
the form of an unlawful oath, which it would seem was 
commonly used by the Egyptians, they ought not, for this 
reason, to have been uttered. 

Q. 21. Is swearing by faith, or troth, a formal profaning 
of God's name ] 

A. No doubt it is; for when a person swears in this 
manner, he tacitly invokes God to bear witness, that he is 
speaking faithfully and truly, and to punish him, if he is 
doing otherwise; which, in ordinary conversation, is un- 
doubtedly sinful, and a falling into condemnation, James 
v. 12. 

Q. 22. Will a habit or custom of swearing in common 
discourse, be an excuse for it ) 

A. By no means; any more than a habit or custom of 
killing men, can be an excuse for wilful murder. 

Q,. 23. How is the name of God profaned by sinful vows ? 

A. Either when we solemnly enter into a resolution to 
do what is absolutely unlawful, as Jezebel did, 1 Kings 



IN THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 



73 



xix. 2 ; or when we come under engagements to duty, and 
against sin, in our own strength, without a due depend- 
ence on the grace of God, as the greater part of the Israel- 
ites did, Deut. v. 27, 29 ; or, when we vow, and are not 
resolved to perform, as Johanan and his confederates did, 
Jer. xlii. 5, compared with verse 20. 

Q,. 24. When is the name of God profaned or abused by- 
lots) 

A. When God is appealed to by way of diversion, as in 
playing at cards, and dice, where the great God is most 
presumptuously invoked to determine who shall be the 
gainer. Lots are also unlawful, when there is an appeal 
by them to God in matters of small moment, which might 
be otherwise easily decided ; this being too like the prac- 
tice of the soldiers, who, after they had crucified Christ, 
did cast lots for his vesture, John xix. 23, 24. 

Q,. 25. How do men profane the name of God in their 
outward walk 1 

A. By making profession of religion in hypocrisy, and 
backsliding from it, Heb. vi. 6 ; or, by committing such 
enormities and immoralities, as reflect dishonour upon it, 
and make the name of God to be evil spoken of, Rom. 
ii. 24. 

Q,. 26. How are the ordinances of God profaned and 
abused 1 

A. Either when they are quite neglected, Acts vii. 42, 
43, or when they are attended in a formal, superficial, and 
customary manner, without seeking to meet with God in 
them, or to have spiritual food and nourishment to our 
souls by them, Isa. xxix. 13, 14. 

Q,. 27. How is the word profaned and abused) 

A. " By misinterpreting, misapplying, or perverting any 
part of it, to profane jests, curious and unprofitable ques- 
tions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines ; 
abusing it, — or any thing, contained under the name of 
God, to charms, — or any way opposing God's truth, grace, 
and ways." * 

Q,. 28. How are the works of God abased? 

A. When "the creatures" are prostituted to "sinful 
lusts and practices ; and when there is a murmuring and 
quarreling at God's providences." f 



Quest. 56. What is the reason annexed to the third 
commandment ? 

Ans. The reason annexed to the third commandment 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 113. 
Part II.— 7 



t Ibid. 



74 



OF THE REASONS ANNEXED, &C. 



is, That however the breakers of this commandment may 
escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will 
not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment. 

Q,. 1. Are there any arguments against taking God's 
name in vain, couched in the preceptive part of this com- 
mandment ] 

A. Yes ; he whose name we are forbidden to take in 
vain, is the Lord our God ; " Thou shalt not take the name 
of the Lord thy God in vain." 

Q,. 2. What is the force of the argument taken from his 
being [the Lord] or Jehovah 1 

A. That his infinite essential glory and excellency 
should fill us with the greatest reverence and humility, 
when we think or speak of any thing by which he makes 
himself known, Ps. lxxxiii. 18. 

Q,. 3. What is the force of the argument taken from his 
being [our God?] 

A. That his making himself over to us in the covenant 
of promise, as our reconciled God and Father in Christ, 
should lay us under the strongest obligation to a holy and 
reverential use of his name, Ex. xv. 2. 

Q. 4. What is the particular reason expressly subjoined 
or annexed to this commandment '? 

A. It is in these words, by way of threatening: For the 
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in 
vain. 

Q,. 5. What is the import of the threatening, " the Lord 
will not hold him guiltless V 

A. It imports, that he will surely hold him guilty in a 
peculiar manner, who presumes to profane or abuse his 
name, so that divine vengeance shall be infallibly cer- 
tain against him> Zech. v. 3. 

Q. 6. In what light does the scripture represent those 
who take God's name in vain? 

A. It represents them as his open and avowed enemies, 
Ps. cxxxix. 20 : Thine enemies take thy name in vain. 

Q,. 7. How does it appear that divine vengeance is in- 
fallibly certain against the profaners of God's name 1 

A. It appears from the very terms of the threatening, 
The Lord ivill not hold him guiltless ; that is, as sure as 
there will be a judgment seat, before which sinners must 
appear ; so sure it is, that this sin shall then be taken par- 
ticular notice of, as a main article of the indictment, Mai. 
iii. 5. 

Q,. 8. Why do [the breakers of this commandment 
escape punishment from men ?] 

A. Because many of those to whom the administration 
of justice is committed, being themselves guilty, do there- 



OF THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT 



75 



fore show no concern for vindicating the honour of God's 
name in punishing the profaners of it. 

Q,. 9. Why will not the Lord our God [suffer them to 
escape his righteous judgment ?] 

A. Because, if heathens are highly punishable for this 
crime, as contrary to one of the first dictates of nature's 
light, Rom. i. 32, much more, among Christians ; the man- 
ifestation of God's name in Christ being the greatest bless- 
ing, John xv. 22, their profaning or abusing of it, must be 
the greatest sin, Amos iii. 2. 



Quest. 57. Which is the fourth commandment? 

Ans. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sab- 
bath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour 
and do all thy icork. But the seventh day is the Sab- 
bath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do any 
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man- 
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy 
stranger that is within thy gates. For, in six days 
the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that 
in them is, and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the 
Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and halloived it. 

Quest. 58. What is required in the fourth command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping 
holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his 
word ; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy 
Sabbath unto himself. 

Q. 1. To what about the worship of God has this com- 
mand a reference 1 

A. It refers to the special time of God's worship. 

Q,. 2. Is the time of God's worship left arbitrary to the 
will of man 1 

A. No : we are to keep [holy to God such set times as 
he hath appointed in his word.] 

Q,. 3. Why should [such set times] be kept holy, and no 
other'? 

A. Because God is the sovereign Lord of our time, and 
has the sole power and authority to direct how it should 
be improved. 



76 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Q. 4. What is meant by the set times mentioned in the 

answer ! 

A. The stated feasts, and holy convocations for religious 
worship, instituted under the ceremonial law, which the 
church of the Jews was obliged to observe during that 
dispensation, Lev. xxiii. 

Q,. 5. Is there any warrant for anniversary, or stated 
holidays, now, under the New Testament) 

A. No: these under the Old, being abrogated by the 
death and resurrection of Christ, there is neither precept 
nor example in scripture, for any of the yearly holidays 
observed by Papists, and others : on the contrary, all such 
days are condemned, Gal. iv. 10, Col. it 16, 17. 

Q,. 6. What crimes does the observance of them import ! 

A. The observance of them imports no less than an im- 
peachment of the institutions of God, concerning his wor- 
ship, as if they were imperfect; and an encroachment 
upon the liberty wherewith Christ has made his church 
and people free, Col. ii. 20. 

Q. 7. What is the special and stated time, which God 
has [expressly,] appointed in his word, to be kept holy } 

A. [One whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to 
himself] 

Q,. 8. What is meant by a [whole day ?] 
A. A whole natural day, consisting of twenty -four 
hours. 

Q,. 9. What do you understand by one whole day [in 
seven )] 

A. A seventh part of our weekly time ; or one complete 
day, either after or before six days' labour. 
Q,. 10. When should we begin and end this day 1 
A. We should measure it just as we do other days, from 
midnight to midnight, without alienating any part of it to 
our own works. 

Gt 11. Are not sleeping and eating on the Sabbath day 
our own works 1 

A. If these refreshments of nature are in moderation, 
and to the glory of God on the Sabbath, they are not pro- 
perly our own works, because they are necessary to 
strengthen our bodies for religious exercises. 

Q,.T2. What is the signification of the word [Sabbath?] 
A. It is a Hebrew word, signifying rest ; as it is inter- 
preted, Heb. iv. 9 : " There remaineth therefore a rest" 
[margin, keeping of a Sabbath] " to the people of God." 
Q,. 1 3. Is Sunday a proper or fit name for this day 7 
A. Although it cannot charitably be supposed that many 
who use this term have any knowledge of, or pay the 
smallest regard to the idolatrous rise of this name, or the 
names assigned to the other days of the week ; yet it were 



IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



77 



to be wished, that all Christians would call this holy-day 
by one or other of its scripture designations. 

Q,. 14. May it not continue to be called Sabbath now, 
as well as under the Old Testament 1 

A. Yes; in regard our Lord himself calls it by this 
name, Matt. xxiv. 20 : " Pray ye that your flight be not in 
the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." 

Q,. 15. But is not our Lord speaking there of the Jewish, 
not of the Christian Sabbath ] 

A. He evidently means the Christian Sabbath only ; for 
he is speaking of the flight which should happen at the 
destruction of Jerusalem ; which did not take place till 
about forty years after the Jewish Sabbath was abolished, 
and the Christian Sabbath had come in its room. 

Q,. 16. Why is it called a [holy] Sabbath] 

A. Because it was consecrated and set apart by God 
himself, for his own worship and service. 

Q,. 17. Is there any other day holy beside the Sabbath 1 

A. Other days may be occasionally employed in the 
worship of God, according to providential calls to it ; yet 
there is no other day, except the Sabbath, morally and 
perpetually holy. 

Q,. 18. Is the Sabbath instrumentalJy holy, or is the time 
itself of the Sabbath an instrument and means (as the 
word and sacraments are) of conveying spiritual grace 1 

A. Not at all : for the time of the Sabbath is only a holy 
season, in which God is pleased to bless his people, more 
ordinarily than at other times, John xx. 19, 24 ; still reserv- 
ing to himself the prerogative of communicating his grace 
at other times likewise, as he shall see meet, chap. xxi. 
15—18. 

Q. 19. Is the fourth commandment founded on the light 
of nature, or upon positive institution ? 
A. It is founded partly on both. 

Q. 20. What part of this commandment is it, that is 
founded entirely on nature's light ; or is what they call 
moral-natural ? 

A. The substance of it ; namely, that as God is to be 
worshipped, so some stated time should be set apart for 
that end. 

Q,. 21. What part of it is founded on positive institution : 
or is what they call moral-positive ? 

A. That one proportion of time should be observed for 
God's worship and service rather than another ; namely, 
that it should be a seventh, rather than a third, fourth, 
fifth, or sixth part of our weekly time. 

Q,. 22. W r hy do you call this a positive institution 1 

A. Because the observance of one day in seven, for a 
Sabbath, flows from the sovereign will of God in appoint- 
ing it ; and could never have been observed, more than 

7* 



78 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



any other part of time, merely by the force of nature's 
light. 

Q,. 23. Why do you call it raoraZ-positive 7 

A. Because, though the law appointing the precise time 
of the Sabbath be positive, yet the reason of the law 
(plainly implied in the law itself, namely, that divine wis- 
dom saw it most equal and meet, that man having six, 
God should have a seventh day to himself) is moral. 

Q, 24. In what, then, consists the morality of the fourth 
commandment 1 

A. In keeping holy to God any seventh day he shall be 
pleased to appoint. 

Q,. 25. What is meant by [the seventh day] mentioned 
in the command ] 

A. Not only the seventh in order from the creation, but 
any other seventh part of our weekly time, as God shall 
determine. 

Q,. 26. How does this appear from the words of the 
command itself) 

A. In the beginning of the commandment, it is not said, 
Remember the seventh day, (namely, in order from the 
creation,) but Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. 
Just so, in the end of this command, the words are not, 
The Lord blessed the seventh-day ; but, the Lord blessed 
the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

Q,. 27. How do you prove the observance of [one whole 
day in seven] for a holy Sabbath to the Lord, to be of 
moral and perpetual obligation? 

A. From the time of the first institution of the Sabbath ; 
from its being placed in the decalogue, or summary of 
moral precepts ; and from there being nothing originally 
ceremonial, or typical, in the scope or substance of it. 

a. 28. W T hen was the Sabbath first instituted? 

A. The will of God, that some stated time should be set 
apart for his worship was written, with the rest of the 
commandments, upon man's heart at his first creation; 
and God's resting from all his works on the first seventh 
day, his blessing and sanctifying it, Gen. ii. 1 — 3, were 
sufficient evidences of his will to mankind, that they should 
observe every seventh day thereafter, till God should be 
pleased to alter it. 

Q,. 29. How is the morality of the Sabbath evinced from 
the first institution of it 1 

A. Being instituted while Adam was in innocence, and 
consequently before all types and ceremonies respecting 
an atonement for sin ; and being appointed him upon a 
moral ground, without any particular reference to an in- 
nocent "state, more than any other, it must therefore be of 
perpetual obligation. 



IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



79 



Q,. 30. What was the moral ground upon which the 
Sabbath was appointed to Adam ! 

A. It was this, that infinite wisdom saw it meet, for 
God's glory, and needful for man's good, that man have 
one day in the week for more immediate and special con- 
verse with God. 

Q,. 31. What need was there for Adam in innocence, 
being perfectly holy, to have one day set apart from the 
others, for more immediate converse with God 1 

A. That in this respect he might be like God, who set 
him an example of holy working six days, and of a holy 
resting on the seventh. 

Q. 32. Could Adam's mind be equally intent upon the 
immediate worship of God, when about his ordinary em- 
ployment in dressing the garden, as on a day set apart for 
that purpose 1 

A. No ; for though there could be no interruption of his 
happiness and fellowship with God, when dressing the 
garden, as he was a perfect creature ; yet being at the 
same time a finite creature, his mind, while he was about 
that employment, could not be so intent upon the imme- 
diate worship of God, as it would be on a day set apart 
for that purpose ; therefore it was fit he should have such 
a day, that he might thus have an uninterrupted freedom 
in the immediate contemplation and enjoyment of his 
Maker, without any avocation from worldly things. 

Q,. 33. What may be inferred from this, in favour of the 
morality of the Sabbath 1 

A. That if Adam in innocence needed a Sabbath, for the 
more immediate service and solemn worship of God, much 
more do we, who are sinful creatures, and so immersed in 
worldly cares, need such a day. 

Q,. 34. Did the religious observance of the Sabbath take 
place immediately after the creation, or not till the pub- 
lishing of the law at Mount Sinai ? 

A. It took place at, and from the first seventh day after 
the creation; for God's blessing and sanctifying of the 
Sabbath is related as a thing actually done at that time, 
and not as a thing to be done upwards of two thousand 
years afterwards, Gen. ii. 3. 

Q,. 35. How can the observance of the Sabbath be said 
to have taken place immediately after the creation, when 
the scripture is wholly silent about the observance of it till 
the time of Moses 1 

A. It might as well be argued, that the Sabbath was not 
observed after Moses' time, during the government of the 
Judges, which, according to Acts xiii. 20, was about the 
space of four hundred and fifty years, there being no men- 
tion of the church observing a Sabbath during the whole 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED, &C. 



of that long period : and yet it cannot be supposed, that 
such godly men as the Judges were, would suffer the 
observance of the Sabbath to go into entire disuse. 

Q,. 36. Is there any evidence from scripture, that the Is- 
raelites knew the observance of the Sabbath to be a moral 
duty, before the publication of the law, from Mount Sinai ? 

A. Yes ; for when the manna was first given them, be- 
fore they came to Mount Sinai, Moses speaks of the Sab- 
bath, as a day well known to them, Ex. xvi. 23 : " To- 
morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord." 

Q,. 37. How may the morality of the Sabbath be demon- 
strated from its situation in the decalogue, or ten com- 
mandments 1 

A. It is placed in the midst of moral precepts, and must 
therefore be of the same nature and kind with them. It 
has the same dignity and honour put upon it, that the other 
nine commandments have; for it was, with them, pro- 
claimed by the mouth of God, in the hearing of all Is- 
rael ; twice written upon tables of stone, by the finger of 
God ; and with them lodged within the ark : none of 
which privileges were conferred upon the ceremonial law : 
and, consequently, the fourth commandment must be of 
the same perpetual obligation as the other moral precepts, 
James ii. 10. 

Q,. 38. Was there any thing typical of Christ in the ori- 
ginal institution of the Sabbath ? 

A. It is impossible there could : for Adam, in innocence, 
being under a covenant of works, had no need of Christ, 
or the revelation of him by types ; no, not to confirm him 
in that covenant, Gal. iii. 12. 

Q. 39. What would have been the consequence, if the 
Sabbath had been originally and essentially typical 1 

A. If so, then it would have been abolished, upon the 
death of Christ, and there would be no more remembrance 
of it than of the new moons and jubilees : which is, in- 
deed, what they who argue against the morality of the 
Sabbath seem much to desire. 

Q. 40. Were not the Israelites commanded to keep the 
Sabbath day in memory of their deliverance out of Egypt, 
which was typical of our redemption by Christ ? 

A. Yes : their deliverance out of Egypt was annexed, 
at Mount Sinai, as a superadded ground for the observ- 
ance of that particular seventh day, which God appointed 
to be kept immediately after the creation, Deut. v. 15. 
For which reason, this particular seventh day was abol- 
ished at the resurrection of Christ : but still the seventh 
part of weekly time fixed by God at the beginning, as the 
substance of this commandment, remained unchangeably 
moral. 



OF THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH. 



81 



Q,. 41. Will it follow that the substance of this com- 
mandment is ceremonial, because it is said of Christ, Matt, 
xii. 8, that he is " Lord even of the Sabbath day ?" 

A. By no means : the very contrary will follow ; name- 
ly, that such a seventh part of weekly time, as is now ob- 
served, is moral, because he who is the Lord of the Sab- 
bath, has appointed it to be so; and, consequently, has 
power to order the work of it for his own service. 

Q,. 42. Is it any argument against the morality of the 
Sabbath, that it " was made for man, and not man for the 
Sabbath 7" 

A. No ; but rather an argument for it : the meaning 
doubtless is, that resting on the Sabbath was appointed 
for man's good, that it might be a mean to a further and 
better end, even the true sanctification of it, in the exer- 
cise of the duties of piety and mercy required on the day. 



Quest. 59. Which day of the seven hath God ap- 
pointed to be the weekly Sabbath ? 

Ans. From the beginning of the world, to the resur- 
rection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the 
week to be the weekly Sabbath ; and the first day of the 
week, ever since, to continue to the end of the world, 
which is the Christian Sabbath. 

Q,. 1. When did God appoint the seventh day of the 
week to be the weekly Sabbath ] 

A. [From the beginning of the world,] Gen. ii. 2, 3. 

Q,. 2. Why is it said to be from the beginning of the 
world, when it was not done till after man was created on 
the sixth day 1 

A. Because the world as to its perfection of parts, did 
not properly begin, till the creation was completely finish- 
ed ; which was not till man was made, who was to have 
dominion over all the earth, Gen. i. 26\ 

Q,. 3. How long was this seventh or last day of the week 
appointed to be the weekly Sabbath? 

A. [To the resurrection of Christ,] Matt, xxviii. 1. 

4. Which day of the week did God appoint for the 
Sabbath [ever since] that time 1 

A. [The first day of the week,] Acts xx. 7. 

Q. 5. For how long time is the first day of the week ap- 
pointed to be the weekly Sabbath 1 

A. [To the end of the world.] 

Q,. 6. How are we sure that it is appointed to [continue 
to the end of the world 1] 



82 



OF THE CHANGE 



A. Because the canon of scripture is concluded, and 
therefore no new revelations and institutions are to be 
expected, Rev. xxii. 18, 19. 

Q,. 7. Why is the first day of the week called [the Chris- 
tian Sabbath]] 

A. Because it was instituted by Christ, and uniformly 
observed by Christians ever since his resurrection. 

Q,. 8. Are not all divine institutions observed in virtue 
of some moral precept ? 

A. Yes; otherwise the law of the Lord would not be 
perfect, as it is declared to be, Ps. xix. 7. 

Q,. 9. In virtue of what moral precept has the first day 
of the week been observed by Christians 7 

A. In virtue of the fourth commandment ; even as the 
means of worship, instituted under the New Testament, 
have been observed in virtue of the second. 

Q,. 10. How can the first day of the week be observed 
in virtue of the fourth commandment, when it is not in it 
particularly mentioned ? 

A. The morality of the Sabbath does not lie in observ- 
ing the seventh day in order from the creation ; but in ob- 
serving such a seventh day as is determined and appoint- 
ed by God ; which may be either the first or last of the 
seven days, as he shall see meet. 

Q,. 11. Under what name or designation is the Christian 
Sabbath foretold in the Old Testament? 

A. Under the name of the eighth day, Ezek. xliii. 27 : 
" And when these days are expired, it shall be that upon 
the eighth day, and so forward, the priests shall make your 
burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings : 
and I will accept you, saith the Lord." 

Q, 12. Why called the eighth day] 

A. Because the first day of the week now, is the eighth 
in order from the creation. 

Q,. 13. What is the efficient cause of the change of the 
Sabbath 1 

A. The sovereign will and pleasure of him who is Lord 
of the Sabbath, Mark ii. 28. 

Q. 14. What is the moving cause of this change? 

A. The resurrection of Christ from the dead, which was 
early on the first day of the week, Mark xvi. 9. 

Q,. 15. Why is the day of Christ's resurrection appointed 
to be the Sabbath ? 

A. Because his resurrection was a demonstrative evi- 
dence that he had completely finished the glorious work 
of redemption, Rom. i. 4 ; and therefore it was his Resting 
Day, Heb. iv. 10 : " He that is entered into his rest, he also 
hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." 

Q,. 16. Why might not the day of Christ's incarnation 



OF THE SABBATH. 



83 



or the day of his passion, have been consecrated to be our 
Sabbath day? 

A. Because they were both of them days of Christ's 
labour and sorrow, which he had to go through before he 
came to his rest, Luke xxiv. 26. In his incarnation, and 
birth, he entered upon his work, Gal. iv. 4, 5. In his 
passion, he was under the sorest part of his labour, even 
the exquisite and unspeakable agonies of his soul, Matt, 
xxvi. 38. 

Q,. 17. Why might not the day of his ascension be made 
the Sabbath, as well as the day of his resurrection 1 

A. Because on the day of his ascension he entered only 
into his Place of rest, the third heavens ; whereas he had 
entered before into his State of rest on the day of his 
resurrection ; and the place is but a circumstance, when 
compared with the state. 

Q,. 18. Why did God change his day of rest? 

A. Because his rest in the work of creation was marred 
and spoiled by man's sin, Gen. vi. 6 ; whereas his rest in 
the work of redemption, entered into at the resurrection 
of Christ, is that in which he will have eternal and un- 
changeable pleasure, John xvii. 23. Besides, redemption 
is a far greater and more excellent work than even that 
of creation. 

Q. 19. How may the change of the Sabbath from the 
last to the first day of the week be evinced from scripture 1 

A. If our Lord Jesus, after his resurrection, met ordi- 
narily with his disciples on the first day of the week ; if, 
after his ascension, he poured out his Spirit in an extraor- 
dinary manner on that day ; if, by the example and prac- 
tice of the apostles and primitive Christians, recorded in 
the New Testament, the first day of the week was honour- 
ed above any other for the public exercises of God's wor- 
ship ; if, by apostolic precept, the observance of this day, 
rather than any other, was enjoined for Sabbath services ; 
and if this day is peculiarly dignified with the title of the 
Lord's Day — then it must undoubtedly be the Christian 
Sabbath by divine institution. 

Q,. 20. How does it appear that our Lord, after his 
resurrection, met ordinarily with his disciples on the first 
day of the week 1 

A. From two instances of it, expressly recorded, John 
xx. 19, 26; where it is affirmed, that he met with them on 
the evening of the same day on which he arose from the 
dead, being the first day of the week : and that Thomas 
was not with them when Jesus came, ver. 24. Likewise, 
on that same day, eight days, he appeared to them again, 
when they were within, and Thomas was with them, ver. 
26. From whence it would seem, that he met with them 



84 



OF THE CHANGE 



ordinarily on that day, during his forty days' abode on the 
earth, after his resurrection. 

Q. 21. How is it evident that Christ, after his ascension, 
poured out his Spirit in an extraordinary manner on this 
day ! 

A. From Acts ii. 1 — 5 : " And when the day of Pentecost 
was fully come, they were all with one accord, in one 
place ; and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, — 
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost," &c. 

Q,. 22. What was the day of Pentecost 1 

A. It was the fiftieth day after the passover, when the 
new meat offering was brought unto the Lord, Num. 
xxviii. 26. 

Q,. 23. How do you prove that this was the first day of 

the week 3 

A. From Lev. xxiii. 16 ; where it is said, that the morrow 
after the seventh Sabbath is the fiftieth day, (or Pentecost.) 
And it is certain that the morrow after the Jewish Sabbath 
must be the first day of the week. 

Q. 24. How does it appear, from the example and 
practice of the apostles and primitive Christians, that the 
first day of the week was honoured above any other, for 
the public exercise of God's worship ! 

A. From Acts xx. 7: " And on the first day of the week, 
when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul 
preached unto them:" where it is obvious that the dis- 
ciples met ordinarily upon the first day of the week, to 
hear the word, and celebrate the sacrament of the supper : 
for it is not said, the apostle called them, but that they 
came together to break bread ; and Paul, on that occasion, 
preached unto them. 

Q,. 25. How may it be proved from the context, that the 
disciples met ordinarily for the public exercises of God's 
worship, on the first day of the week? 

A. That they did so may be proved from this, that Paul 
abode with them seven days, as is evident from ver. 6, 
and yet upon none of the seven did they meet for com- 
municating, or breaking of bread, but on the first day of 
the week only : which plainly says that they held it for 
the Christian Sabbath, and not the seventh or last day, 
which is not even mentioned. 

Q,. 26. But do we not read, Acts xiii. 14, that Paul 
preached in a synagogue on the Sabbath day, which cer- 
tainly behoved to be the Jewish Sabbath or last day of 
the week] 

A. He only preached occasionally on the Jewish Sab- 
bath, as the fittest time, when the Jews were assembled 
together, to dispense gospel truth among them; but did 
not honour this day as a stated time for public worship. 

Q. 27. What apostolic precept is there, for the observ- 



OF THE SABBATH. 



85 



ance of the first day of the week, rather than any other, 
for Sabbath services] 

A. It is in 1 Cor. xvi. 1,2: " Now, concerning the col- 
lection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches 
of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, 
let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath 
prospered him." 

Q,. 28. What is the argument from this text, to prove an 
apostolic precept, for observing the first day of the week 
as the Christian Sabbath 1 

A. It may run thus : That if collections for the poor are 
expressly commanded to be made on the first day of the 
week, it plainly follows, that Christians must meet to- 
gether on that day, for this and other Sabbath services. 

Q,. 29. But may not this be a temporary precept, bind- 
ing, for a time, upon the church of Corinth only ] 

A. As the words of the text expressly affirm that it was 
binding also upon the churches of Galatia, so the apostle 
directs his epistle not to the church of Corinth only, but to 
all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ, 
chap. i. 2 ; and consequently it must be binding upon all 
the churches to the end of the world. 

Q,. 30. In what place of the New Testament is there 
mention made of a day dignified with the title of the Lord's 
day ] 

A. In Rev. i. 10: I was in the Spirit, says John, on the 
Lord's day. 

Q,. 31. How may it be proved, that what is here called 
the Lord's day, is the first day of the week? 

A. By these two arguments : That no other day of the 
week but the first can justly be called the Lord's day ; 
and that the first day of the week is so called in virtue of 
Christ's sanctifying it, above any other day, for his own 
honour and service. 

Q,. 32. Why can no other day of the week, but the first, 
be justly called the Lord's day 1 

A. Because there is no action or work of Christ (save 
healing on the Sabbath) mentioned or recorded as done 
upon any one day of the week by another, except that of 
his resurrection, which is unanimously affirmed by the 
evangelists, to be on the first day of the week. 

Q,. 33. How does it appear that the first day of the week 
is called the Lord's day, in virtue of his sanctifying it for 
his own honour and service ? 

A. As the seventh day Sabbath was called the Sabbath 
of the Lord, because instituted by him as God-creator ; so 
the first day of the week is called the Lord's day, because 
instituted by him as God-redeemer ; or, as the sacrament 
of bread and wine is called the Lord's table, and the Lord's 
supper, 1 Cor. x. 21, and xi. 20, because it is an ordinance 

Part II.— 8 



86 



OF SANCTIFYING 



of his institution ; so, the first day of the week is called 
the Lord's day, for the very same reason. 

Q,. 34. Would the apostles have observed and recom- 
mended the first day of the week for the Christian Sab- 
bath, if they had not been particularly instructed in this 
by Christ himself? 

A. No, surely: for, after his passion, he spoke of the 
things pertaining to the kingdom of God, Acts i. 3 ; among 
which the change of the Sabbath from the last to the first 
day of the week, was none of the least ; and it is certain, 
that the apostles delivered nothing to the churches, as a 
rule of faith or practice, but what they received of the 
Lord, 1 Cor. xi. 23. 



Quest. 60. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified ? 

Ans. The Sabbath is to be sanctified, by a holy rest- 
ing all that day, even from such worldly employments 
and recreations as are lawful on other days ; and spend- 
ing the whole time in the public and private exercises of 
God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in 
the works of necessity and mercy. 

Q,. 1. In what sense is the Sabbath to be [sanctified?] 

A. As it is dedicated by God, for man's sake and use, 
that he may keep it holy to God. 

Q. 2. In what manner should he keep it holy to God ! 

A. By [a holy resting,] and by holy exercises. 

Q,. 3. What should we rest from on the Sabbath ! 

A. [Even from such worldly employments and recrea- 
tions as are lawful on other days ;] or, which is the same 
thing, from all servile work, Neh. xiii. 15 — 23. 

0,74. What is it that makes a work servile] 

A. If it is done for our worldly gain, profit, and liveli- 
hood ; or if, by prudent management, it might have been 
done the week before ; or, if it be of such a kind as may 
be delayed till after the Sabbath, Ex. xxxiv. 21: Six days 
thou shalt work, but on the seventh thou shalt rest : in 
earing time,* and in harvest thou shalt rest. 

Q,. 5. Why does God enjoin rest on the Sabbath so per- 
emptorily and particularly, in the time of ploughing and 
harvest 7 

A. Because in these seasons men are most keenly set 
upon their labour ; and may be in the greatest hazard of 
grudging the time of the Sabbath for rest. 



* Ploughing-time, or Seed-time. 



THE SABBATH. 



87 



Q,. 6. If the weather is unseasonable through the week, 
do not reaping and ingathering, in that case, become works 
of necessity on the Sabbath 1 

A. By no means ; because any unseasonableness of the 
weather that may happen, being common and general, 
proceeds only from the course of God's ordinary provi- 
dence, which we ought not to distrust, in regard of his 
promise, that, " While the earth remaineth, seed-time and 
harvest — shall not cease," Gen. viii. 22. 

Q.7. If a field of corn is in hazard of being carried away 
by the unexpected inundation of a river, is it lawful to 
endeavour the preservation of them upon the Sabbath ? 

A. Yes : because the dispensation is extraordinary ; the 
case not common nor general ; and the damage likewise, 
in an ordinary way, irrecoverable. 

Q,. 8. Are Christians, under the New Testament, obliged 
to as strict an abstinence from worldly labour, as the Jews 
were under the Old 1 

A. Yes, surely ; for moral duties being of unchangeable 
obligation, Christians must be bound to as strict a per- 
formance of them now, as the Jews were then, Ps. xix. 9. 

Q. 9. Were not the Jews prohibited to dress meat on 
the Sabbath 1 Ex. xvi. 23. 

A. They were prohibited such servile work as was re- 
quisite in preparing manna for food : such as the grinding 
of it in mills, beating it in mortars, and baking it in pans, 
Num. xi. 8; but not all dressing of meat, for the com- 
fortable nourishment of their bodies, any more than we. 

Q,. 10. How does it appear that they were allowed to 
dress meat on the Sabbath, for the comfortable nourish- 
ment of their bodies 1 

A. From our Lord's being present at a meal on the Sab- 
bath day, to which there were several guests bidden, and 
consequently meat behoved to be prepared and dressed 
for their entertainment, Luke xiv. 1, 7. 

Q,. 11. Were not the Jews forbidden to kindle fire in 
their habitations upon the Sabbath day 1 Ex. xxxv. 3. 

A. Yes, for any servile work, though it were even 
making materials for the tabernacle, (which is the work 
spoken of through the following part of that chapter ;) but 
they were not forbidden to kindle fires for works of ne- 
cessity or mercy, any more than Christians are. 

Q,. 12. Were they not ordered to abide every man in his 
place, and not to go out of his place on the seventh day ] 
Ex. xvi. 29. 

A. The prohibition only respects their going abroad 
about the unnecessary and servile work of gathering 
manna upon the Sabbath ; otherwise, they were allowed 
to go out about works of necessity and mercy: and it 



88 



OF SANCTIFYING 



appears from Acts i. 12, that they were allowed to travel 

a Sabbath clay's journey. 

Q,. 13. What was a Sabbath day's journey 1 

A. Whatever was the tradition of the Pharisees about 
it, it appears to have been the distance of their respective 
dwellings, from the place where they ordinarily attended 
public ordinances, 2 Kings iv. 23. 

Q,. 14. Are we not to rest on the Lord's day from lawful 
recreations, as well as from lawful worldly employments ] 

A. Yes; because we are expressly required, on this 
holy day, to abstain from doing our own ways, finding 
our own pleasure, and speaking our own words, Isa. 
lviii. 13. 

Q,. 15. What are these recreations that are lawful on 
other days ? 

A. Innocent pastimes, visiting friends, walking in the 
fields, talking of the news, or common affairs, and the like. 

Q,. 16. Why are these recreations unlawful on the Lord's 
day? 

A. Because they tend to divert the mind from the duties 
of the Sabbath, as much as, if not more than, worldly em- 
ployments. 

Q,. 17. Is not the Sabbath a festival, or feast day; and 
consequently may not our conversation on it be cheerful 
and diverting? 

A. It is, indeed, properly a feast day, but of a spiritual, 
not of a carnal nature : we may refresh our bodies moder- 
ately, but not sumptuously ; and our conversation ought 
to turn wholly upon spiritual and heavenly subjects, or 
such as have that tendency, after the example of our Lord, 
Luke xiv. I — 25. 

Q,. 18. What should be the principal end of our six days' 
labour ! 

A. That it be so managed, as in no way to discompose 
or unfit us for a holy resting on the Sabbath, or meeting 
with God on his own day. 

a. 19. What is a [holy resting?] 

A. Not only an abstaining from our own work, or 
labour, but an entering by faith, (in the use of appointed 
means,) into the presence and enjoyment of God in Christ, 
as the only rest of our souls, Heb. iv. 3 ; that having no 
work of our own to mind or do, we may be wholly taken 
up with the works of God. 

Q,. 20. Why called a [holy] resting ! 

A. Because we should rest from worldly labour, in 
order to be employed in the holy exercises, which the 
Lord requires on this day ; otherwise, as to bare cessation, 
our cattle rest from outward labour, as well as we. 

Q,. 21. What are the holy exercises, in which we ought 
to be employed on the Lord's day ? 



THE SABBATH. 



89 



A. [In the public and private exercises of God's wor- 
ship.] 

Q.. 22. What are the [public exercises] of God's worship, 
in which we should be employed 1 

A. Hearing the word preached, Rom. x. 17; joining in 
public prayers and praises, Luke xxiv. 53 ; and partaking 
of the sacraments, Acts xx. 7. 

Q,. 23. What is included under the [private] exercises 
of God's worship] 

A. Family and secret duties. 

Q,. 24. What are the duties incumbent on us in a family 
capacity on the Lord's day ? 

A. Family worship, and family catechizing, together 
with Christian conference, as there is occasion, Lev. xxiii. 
3 : " It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings, or 
private families ; and therefore God is to be worshipped in 
them on that day. 

Q,. 25. What is family worship ] 

A. It is the daily joining of all that are united in a do- 
mestic relation, or who are dwelling together in the same 
house and family, in singing God's praises, Acts ii. 47, 
reading his word, Deut. vi. 7, and praying to him, Jer. 
x. 25. 

Q,. 26. How do you prove family worship to be a duty 
daily incumbent upon those who have families 1 

A. From scripture precept, and from scripture example. 

Q>. 27. How is family worship evinced from scripture 
precept] 

A. Besides that this commandment enjoins every master 
of a family to sanctify the Sabbath within his gates, that 
is, to worship God in his family ; there are also other scrip- 
tures, inculcating the same thing, by necessary conse- 
quence ; such as, Eph. vi. 18, " Praying always, with all 
prayer and supplication," 1 Tim. ii. 8 ; " I will therefore 
that men pray every where." If with all prayer, then 
surely with family prayer ; if every where, then certainly 
in our families. 

Q,. 28. What are the examples of family worship record- 
ed in scripture for our imitation 7 

A. Among others, there are the examples of Abraham, 
Gen. xviii. 19; of Joshua, chap. xxiv. 15: "As for me and 
my house, we will serve the Lord ;" of David, 2 Sam. vi. 
20 ; of Cornelius, Acts x. 2 ; and especially the example of 
our blessed Lord, whom we find singing psalms, Matt, 
xxvi. 30, and praying with his disciples, who were his 
family, Luke ix. 18. 

Q,. 29. What should be the subject matter of family cat- 
echizing ] 

A. What they have been hearing through the day, to- 
gether with the principles of our religion, as laid out in 



90 



OF SANCTIFYING 



the Shorter Catechism, with the helps that are published 
upon the same, which masters of families ought to use for 
their assistance in this work. 

Q,. 30. What are the proper seasons of Christian con- 
ference on the Sabbath 1 

A. At meals, and in the interval of duties : our speech 
should be always, but especially on the Lord's day, sea- 
soned with salt, Col. iv. 6. 

Q,. 31. What are the secret duties in which we ought to 
be exercised on the Lord's day 1 

A. Secret prayer, reading the scriptures, and other soul- 
edifying books, meditation upon divine subjects, and self- 
examination. 

Q. 32. With what frame and disposition of soul should 
we engage in the public and private exercises of God's 
worship I 

A. With a spiritual frame and disposition, Rev. i. 10: 1 
was in the Spirit on the Lord's 4ay. 

Q,. 33. What is it to be in the Spirit on the Lord's day 1 

A. It is not only to have the actual inhabitation of the 
Spirit, which is the privilege of believers every day, Ezek. 
xxxvi. 27 ; but to have the influences and operations of the 
Spirit more liberally let out, Luke iv. 31, 32, and his graces 
in more lively exercise, than at other times, Acts ii. 41. 

Q,. 34. What moral argument have we from the ceremo- 
nial law, for offering a greater plenty of spiritual sacrifices 
to God on the Sabbath, than upon other days ? 

A. The daily sacrifice, or continual burnt offering, was 
to be doubled on the Sabbath, Num. xxviii. 9 ; intimating, 
that they were bound to double their devotions on that 
day, which was consecrated to God to be spent in his 
service. 

Q,. 35. How much of the Sabbath is to be spent in the 
public and private exercises of God's worship 1 

A. The whole of it, from the ordinary time of rising on 
other days, to the ordinary time of going to rest ; [except 
so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity 
and mercy.] 

Q,. 36. What is to be understood by works of [neces- 
sity?] 

A. Such as could not be foreseen, nor provided against 
the day before, nor delayed till the day after the Sabbath. 

Q,. 37. What instances may be given of such works of 
necessity on the Lord's day 1 

A. Flying from, and defending ourselves against an 
enemy ; quenching of fire, accidentally or wilfully kindled ; 
standing by the helm, or w or king a ship at sea, (provided 
they do not weigh anchor, nor hoist sail from harbours or 
friths, on the Lord's day,) and the like. 



THE SABBATH. 



91 



Q,. 38. What are the works of [mercy] which may be 
done on the Sabbath 1 

A. The moderate refreshment of our bodies, Luke vi. 1; 
visiting the sick, preparing and administering remedies to 
them, Luke xiii. 16; feeding our cattle, ver. 15; and pre- 
serving their lives, if in danger, chap. xiv. 5 ; and making 
collections for the poor, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. 

Q,. 39. What cautions are requisite about works of ne- 
cessity and mercy 1 

A. That these works be real, and not pretended ; that 
we spend as little time about them as possible ; and that 
we endeavour to attain a holy frame of spirit while about 
them. 

Q,. 40. How does it appear that works of necessity and 
mercy are lawful on the Lord's day 7 

A. Because, though God rested from his work of crea- 
tion on the seventh day, yet he did not rest on it, from 
preserving what he had made. 

Q,. 41. " Why is the charge of keeping the Sabbath more 
especially directed to governors of families, and other 
superiors T 

A. " — Because they are bound not only to keep it 
themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that 
are under their charge : and because they are prone often- 
times to hinder them by employments of their own."* 

Q,. 42. Ought not magistrates to punish those who are 
guilty of the open and presumptuous breach of the Sab- 
bath] 

A. Undoubtedly they should ; and they have the ex- 
ample of Nehemiah for a precedent, worthy of their imita- 
tion in this matter, chap. xiii. 21. 

Q,. 43. What is the most effectual way for the civil ma- 
gistrate to suppress Sabbath profanation 1 

A. To be impartial in the execution of the laws against 
Sabbath breaking, especially upon those who are of a 
more eminent rank and station, because they ought to be 
exemplary to others, Neh. xiii. 17: "Then I contended 
with the nobles of Judah ; and said unto them, What evil 
thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day V 

Q,. 44. " Why is the word remember set in the beginning 
of the fourth commandment V 

A. " Partly, because we are very ready to forget it ; 
and partly, because in keeping it, we are helped better to 
keep all the rest of the commandments."t 



* Larger Catechism, Q. 118. 



tlbid. Q. 121. 



92 SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



Quest. 61, What is forbidden in the fourth com- 

mandment ? 

Ans. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, 
or careless performance, of the duties required, and the 
profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in 
itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, 
about our worldly employments and recreations. 

Q,. 1. How are the sins ranked that are forbidden in 
this commandment 1 
A. They are ranked into sins of omission, and sins of 

commission.* 

Q. 2. What are the sins of [omission] here forbidden ! 

A. Both the total neglect of the duties required, and 
the neglect of the careful performance of them, when 
essayed. 

Q,. 3. Of what is the total neglect of the duties required 
on the Sabbath an evidence ! 

A. It is a plain evidence of the neglect of all religious 
duties through the week; and, consequently, an evidence 
of atheism, profaneness, and apostasy. 

U,. 4. When are persons guilty of the [careless perform- 
ance] of the duties required on the Sabbath ? 

A. When they go about them in a partial, formal and 
lifeless way, Matt. xv. 8. 

Q,. 5. What is it to go about duties in a partial way 1 

A. It is to perform some of them, and omit others equally 
necessary ; such as, attending the public, and neglecting 
the private exercises of God's worship ; or the contrary. 

Q,. 6. What is formality in duty 1 

A. It is the bare outward performance of it, without re- 
garding the manner in which it ought to be done, or the 
vital principle from whence it should flow, 2 Tim. iii. 5. 

Q,. 7. What are the ordinary causes of the dead and 
lifeless performance of religious duties 1 

A. Wandering thoughts, weariness, and drowsiness, are 
among none of the least. 

Q,. 8. What is the best antidote against wandering 
thoughts 1 

A. Faith in exercise : for this will fix the attention to 
what we are presently engaged in, whether hearing, pray- 
ing, or praising, Ps. lvii. 7. 

Q,. 9. Whence arises weariness in duty 7 

A. From the natural bias of the heart and affections to 
worldly things, rather than religious exercises, Amos viii. 



* See both these explained, Part I. on the head, Of sin in general. 



OF THE REASONS ANNEXED 93 

5 : " When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell 
corn ] and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat]" 

Q,. 10. What is the evil of drowsiness, particularly in 
hearing the word, or joining in prayer and praise 1 

A. If it be voluntary and customary, it is a manifest 
contempt of the word and presence of the great God, and 
paying less regard to him, than we even do to our fellow- 
creatures. 

Q,. 11. What are the sins of commission forbidden in this 
commandment 1 

A. [The profaning the day by idleness, or doing that 
which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, 
or works, about our worldly employments and recrea- 
tions.] 

Q,. 12. What is the idleness here prohibited? 

A. It is a loitering away the Sabbath, in a slothful, indo- 
lent, and inactive manner, without any real benefit or ad- 
vantage, either to soul or body, Matt. xx. 3. 

Q,. 13. Why is there a prohibition of [doing that which 
is in itself sinful,] on the Lord's day, when it is unlawful 
on every other day ) 

A. Because whatever the sinful action be, there is a 
greater aggravation of guilt in committing it on the Sab- 
bath, which ought to be kept holy to God, than upon any 
other day, Jer. xvii. 27. 

Q,. 14. What are these [thoughts, words, or works,] that 
are here called [unnecessary]] 

A. They are such as are [about our worldly employ- 
ments and recreations;] or, they are all such thoughts, 
words, or works, as are not inevitably used about the 
works of necessity and mercy, which are lawful on this 
day. 

Q,. 15. Why is .the day said to be profaned by the sins 
here forbidden ? 

A. Because these sins are each of them the reverse of that 
holiness, which should shine in all our duties, public and 
private, on the Lord's day, Isa. lviii. 13, 14. 



Quest. 62. What are the reasons annexed to the 
fourth commandment ? 

Ans. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment 
are God's allowing us six days of the week for our own 
employments, his challenging a special propriety in the 
seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath 
day. 




94 



TO THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 



Q,. 1. How many reasons are there annexed to this com- 
mandment 1 

A. Four ; which are more than to any of the rest. 

Q,. 2. Why are more reasons annexed to this command 
than to any of the rest ] 

A. Because of the proneness of men to break it ; and 
likewise that the violation of it may be rendered the more 
inexcusable. 

Q,. 3. Which is the first reason ? 

A. It is [God's allowing us six days of the week for our 
own employments;] in these words, Six days shalt thou 
labour and do all thy work. 

Q,. 4. In what lies the strength of this reason? 

A. It lies in this, that it would be most highly unreason- 
able and ungrateful to grudge a seventh part of our time, 
in the more immediate service and worship of God ; when 
he has been so liberal as to allow us six parts of it, for our 
own secular and worldly affairs. 

Q,. 5. What similar instance of ingratitude may be given 
for the illustration of this 1 

A. The sin of our first parents, in refusing to abstain 
from one tree, when they were allowed the free use of all 
the rest of the garden, Gen. iii. 2, 3, 6. 

Q,. 6. Is working six days in our own employments a 
precept properly belonging to this commandment 1 

A. No : it is properly a branch of the eighth command- 
ment, but it is brought in here incidentally, to enforce the 
sacred observance of a seventh day, when God has been 
so bountiful as to allow us six for our own occasions. 

Q,. 7. Which is the second reason annexed to this com- 
mandment ] ,\> 

A. It is [his challenging a special propriety in the 
seventh ;] in these words, " but the seventh day is the Sab- 
bath of the Lord thy God." 

Q,. 8. What is the force of this reason 2 

A. The force of it is this ;— As that gracious God, who 
makes a grant of himself to us in the covenant of promise, 
claims this day as his own, so it is our greatest privilege 
or happiness to have access to, and communion with him 
on it, Isa. lviii. 14. 

Q,. 9. In what lies the privilege or happiness of commu- 
nion with God on his own day 1 

A. In having a foretaste in grace here of what shall be 
more fully enjoyed in glory hereafter, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Q. 10. Which is the third reason 1 

A. It is [his own example ;] in these words, " For in six 
days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all 
that in them is, and rested the seventh day." 

Q,. 11. Could not God have made heaven and earth, the 



OF THE REASONS ANNEXED, &C. 



95 



sea, and all that in them is, in less time than the space of 
six days ? 

A. No doubt, he could have made all things, in the same 
beauty and perfection, in which ever they appeared, in an 
instant of time, if he had pleased. 

Q,. 12. Why then did he take six days? 

A. To fix the morality of six days for worldly labour, 
and of a seventh for holy rest ; and both these by his own 
example. 

Q,. 13. But does not the example of God's resting the 
seventh day, oblige us still to observe the seventh day, in 
order from the creation, as a Sabbath 1 

A. No ; because, though moral examples bind always to 
the kind of action, yet not always to every particular cir- 
cumstance of it. 

Q,. 14. What is the kind of action to which God's exam- 
ple binds us 1 

A. It is to observe one day in seven as a holy rest, either 
the last or first, as he shall appoint. 

Q,. 15. How can God's example of resting on the seventh 
day be an argument for our resting on the first ? 

A. Though the observance of a particular day in seven 
be mutable ; yet the duty of observing a seventh part of 
weekly time is moral, both by God's precept and example. 

Q,. 16. Which is the fourth reason annexed to this com- 
mandment 1 

A. It is [his blessing the Sabbath day ;] in these words : 
" Wherefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hal- 
lowed it." 

Q,. 17. In what sense may the Sabbath be said to be 
blessed ? 

A. Not only by God's consecrating the day itself to a 
holy use ; but by his blessing it to the true observers of it, 
and by his blessing them in it. 

Q,. 18. How does God bless the Sabbath to the true ob- 
servers of it ? 

A. By ordering it so in his providence, that the religious 
observance of the Sabbath shall be no detriment to, but 
rather a furtherance of their lawful employments through 
the week ; even as the profanation of it draws a train of 
all miseries and woes after it, Neh. xiii. 18. 

Q,. 19. How does he bless them in it, or upon if? 

A. By making it the happy season of a more plenteous 
communication of all spiritual blessings to them, Isa. 
Iviii. 14. 

Q,. 20. What does the illative particle Wherefore teach 
us? 

A. That God's resting on the Sabbath was the great 
reason of his setting it apart to be a day of holy rest to us, 



96 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED, 



that we might contemplate the works of God, both of crea- 
tion and redemption, upon it. 



Quest. 63. Which is the fifth commandment ? 

Ans. The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father 
and thy mother ; that thy days may be long upon the 
land which the Lo?'d thy God giveth thee. 

Quest. 64. What is required in the fifth command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving 
the honour, and performing the duties, belonging to every- 
one in their several places and relations, as superiors, infe- 
riors, or equals. 

Q,. 1. " Who are meant by father and mother in the fifth 
commandment T 

A. " Not only natural parents, but all superiors in age 
and gifts ; and especially such as, by God's ordinance, are 
over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, 
or commonwealth." * 

Q,. 2. " Why are superiors styled father and mother 17 

A. " To teach them in all duties towards their inferiors, 
like natural parents, to express love and tenderness to them 
according to their several relations ; and to work inferiors 
to a greater willingness and cheerfulness, in performing 
their duties to their superiors, as to their parents." f 

Q. 3. " What is the general scope of the fifth command- 
ment ?" 

A. It "is the performance of those duties we mutually 
owe in our several relations."! 

Q,. 4. What are the relations in which we stand to each 
other 1 

A. All mankind stand related to each other, either [as 
superiors, inferiors, or equals.] 

Q,. 5. Who are our [superiors 1] 

A. All that are above us in office, place, or dignity. 

Q,. 6. Who are meant by [inferiors '?] 

A. Such as are subject to others, or below them in 
station or gifts. 

Q,. 7. Whom do you understand by [equals?] 

A. Such as are of like age and condition in the world. 



* Larger Catechism, Q. 124 t Ibid. Q. 125. t Ibid. Q. 126. 



IN THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



97 



Q,. 8. What is the general duty required in this com- 
mandment 1 

A. It is honour : Honour thy father and thy mother. 

Q. 9. What is meant by the honour here required ? 

A. All inward regard and esteem, manifested by out- 
ward tokens of respect, Rom. xiii. 10, reverence, chap, 
xiii. 7, and obedience, Heb. xiii. 17. 

Q,. 10. What is the rule and measure of that obedience 
and submission, which is due from inferiors to their su- 
periors 1 

A. The law of God ; for, when any thing is enjoined 
contrary to it, the fixed rule is, to obey God rather than 
men, Acts iv. 19, and v. 29. 

Q,. 11. What is it that procures honour from one person 
to another 1 

A. It is something of eminence, excellency, or worth, 
that is discernible in them, Acts x. 25. 

Q,. 12. Are there not different degrees of external hon- 
our due to some beyond others 1 

A. Yes: according to the different office and stations 
in which God places them in the world, 1 Tim. v. 1,2. 

Q,. 13. What is that degree of honour which the mean- 
est and lowest part of mankind are entitled to, from the 
greatest and highest 1 

A. It is to be esteemed and regarded by them, in pro- 
portion as they are necessary and useful, Eph. vi. 9. 

Q. 14. Why are we commanded to honour all men? 1 
Pet. ii. 17. 

A. Because there are few or none, in whom we may not 
observe some gift or other, in which they are superior to 
us, if we were to judge ourselves humbly and impartially, 
Phil. ii. 3. 

Q,. 15. Are men to be honoured according to their 
riches 1 

A. No ; but according as they employ their riches, in 
some measure, for the good of others, either in the church 
or commonwealth, 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18. 

Q,. 16. What are the several relations in which duties 
are mutually to be performed, according to this command* 
ment 1 

A. They are such as subsist between parents and child? 
ren; magistrates and subjects; ministers and people; 
husbands and wives ; masters and servants ; and likewise 
between those who have a greater or less degree of gifts 
and graces. 

Q,. 17. Who are they that have the first and natural 
right to honour and respect ? 

A. Natural Parents ; fathers and mothers. 

Q,. 18. Is equal honour and regard due from children to 
their mother as to their father ] 

Part II.— 9 



98 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



A. Yes, surely; and therefore, to prevent any differ- 
ence, in respect of esteem, reverence, and obedience, she 
is named before the father, in Lev. xix. 3 : "Ye shall fear 
every man his mother and his father." 

Q,. 19. What are the duties of parents to their children? 

A. To train them up for God, Prov. xxii. 6, in the know- 
ledge and profession of the true religion, Deut. vi. 7; to 
teach them by example, as well as precept, Ps. ci. 2, 3 ; to 
be careful in applying suitable and seasonable correction 
to their faults, Prov. xiii. 24, and xix. 18, and xxiii. 13, 14; 
to provide for them according to their ability, 2 Cor. xii. 
14; and to be earnest in prayer to God for a blessing up- 
on them, Gen. xlviii. 15, 16. 

Q,. 20. What are the duties of children to their parents ? 

A. To love them dearly, Gen. xlvi. 29 ; to esteem and 
think highly of them in their minds, Lev. xix. 3, Mai. i. 6 ; 
to hearken to their counsels, Prov. iv. 1, and obey their 
lawful commands, Eph. vi. 1; to submit patiently to their 
corrections, Heb. xii. 9 ; and to succour and relieve them 
in case of poverty and want, Gen. xlvii. 12, especially in 
old age, Ruth iv. 15. 

Q,. 2\ . May children dispose of themselves in marriage 
without the knowledge or consent of their parents? 

A. No ; as appears from the charge given by Abraham, 
concerning his son Isaac, Gen. xxiv. 3, 4, and that of Isaac 
to Jacob, chap, xxviii. 1, 2: but if children should dispose 
of themselves without the knowledge and consent of their 
parents, they act contrary to the honour, deference, and 
gratitude they owe to them, as Esau did, Gen. xxvi. 
34, 35. 

Q,. 22. What are the duties of magistrates towards their 

subjects 3 

A. To establish good laws, 2 Kings xviii. 4, and see 
them impartially executed, Rom. xiii. 3, 4 ; to protect their 
subjects in their religion, lives, and liberties, 1 Pet. ii. 14 ; 
and to be nursing fathers to the church, Isa. xlix. 23. 

Q,. 23. What are the duties of subjects towards their 
magistrates? 

A. To honour and reverence them, 2 Sam. ix. 6 ; to obey 
their just laws, Eccl. viii. 2 ; to pay them the tribute that 
is due to them, Rom. xiii. 7 ; to pray for them, 1 Tim. ii. 1, 
2 ; and to support and defend their persons and authority, 
1 Sam. xxvi. 15, 16. Esth. vi. 2. 

Q,. 24. Are subjects bound to be obsequious to the lawful 
commands of magistrates, who are of a different religion 
from them ? 

A. " Infidelity, or difference in religion, doth not make 
void the magistrate's just and legal authority, nor free the 
people from their due obedience to him." * 

* Confession, ehap. -xxiii. $ 4. 



IN THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 



99 



Q. 25. What are the duties of ministers to their people ? 

A. Diligently to study, 1 Tim. iv. 15; and faithfully to 
preach the gospel, 2 Tim. iv. 2; not shunning to declare 
to them all the counsel of God, Acts xx. 27 ; to evidence 
their own belief of their doctrine, by a holy and exempla- 
ry walk, 1 Tim. iv. 12 ; to watch for their souls as they 
that must give account, Heb. xiii. 17 ; and to pray much 
for them, Rom. i. 9 : all which duties require their ordinary 
residence among them, 1 Pet. v. 2. 

Q,. 26. What are the duties of people to their ministers 1 

A. To esteem them very highly in love for their work's 
sake, 1 Thess. v. 13 ; to strive together in their prayers to 
God for them, Rom. xv. 30, that they may be enabled to 
give them their portion of meat in due season, Luke xii 
42 ; to attend diligently upon the ordinances dispensed by 
them, Heb. x. 25 ; to defend their character and doctrine 
against unjust calumnies and reproaches, 1 Tim. v. 19; 
and to make a competent and comfortable provision for 
them, Gal. vi. 6. 

Q. 27. What are the duties mutually incumbent upon 
husband and wife ! 

A. The most tender and affectionate love, on both sides, 
Eph. v. 28, 33; the strictest fidelity to the marriage-bed 
and covenant, Matt. v. 28 ; and the promoting the tem- 
poral and spiritual welfare of each other, 1 Tim. v. 8. 1 
Pet. iii. 7. 

d. 28. What are the duties of masters to their servants 1 

A. To be meek and gentle towards them, forbearing 
threatening, Eph. vi. 9 ; to instruct them in the principles 
of religion, Gen. xviii. 19; to see to their external observ- 
ance of the Sabbath, Ex. xx. 10; and to pay them punc- 
tually their wages, Deut. xxiv. 15. 

Q,. 29. What are the duties of servants to their masters 1 

A. To be diligent and faithful in their master's work, 
"not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but — with good 
will, doing service as to the Lord, and not to men," Eph. 
vi. 6, 7 ; to obey in all things their masters according to 
the flesh, Col. iii. 22 ; and to please them well in all things, 
not answering again, Tit. ii. 9. 

Q,. 30. Are masters and servants on earth, subject to one 
common Lord and Master in heaven 1 

A. Yes ; and therefore they ought to behave towards one 
another, as in his sight ; for there is no respect of persons 
with him, Eph. vi. 9. 

Q,. 31. What are the duties of those who have a larger 
measure of gifts and graces conferred upon them, towards 
such as have a less share of the same ] 

A. To be exemplary in humility and self-denial, Gen. 
xxxiii. 10, as having nothing but what they have received, 
1 Cor. iv. 7 ; to be communicative of what the Lord has 



100 SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

freely given them, Matt. x. 8 ; and improve their talents 
for the benefit of themselves and others, chap. xxv. 16. 

Q. 32. What are the duties of such as are weaker in 
gifts and graces, towards those that are stronger] 

A. To be followers of them in so far as they are of Christ, 
1 Cor. xi. 1 ; to be willing to learn from their experiences, 
Heb. vi. 12; and to covet earnestly the best gifts, 1 Cor. 
xii. 31. 

Q,. 33. What is the duty of the younger towards the aged? 

A. To honour and respect them, especially if the hoary 
head be found in the way of righteousness, Prov. xvi. 31 : 
" Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the 
face of the old man," Lev. xix. 32. 

Q,. 34. What are the duties of equals to one another t 

A. To provoke each other unto love and good works, 
Heb. x. 24 ; " to be kindly affectioned one to another, in 
honour preferring one another," Rom. xii. 10. 

Q,. 35. What is the fruit and consequence of the con- 
scientious performance of these relative duties ? 

A. Hereby outward peace and concord will be better 
maintained between man and man, 1 Pet. iii. 10, 11 ; and 
likewise the members of Christ's body will be knit more 
closely to one another in love, 1 John. iv. 7. 



Quest. 65. What is forbidden in the fifth com- 
mandment ? 

Ans. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting 
of, or doing any thing against, the honour and duty, which 
belong to every one in their several places and relations. 

Q. 1. What is it to neglect the honour and duty which 
belong to every one in their several places and relations? 

A. It is not only to omit the performance of such rela- 
tive duties altogether, but even when they are performed, 
to do them without any regard to the command and 
authority of God enjoining them, Isa. xxix. ] 3. 

Q. 2. What is it to do any thing against the honour and 
duty which belong to every one ? 

A. It is to commit those sins which are the very oppo- 
site of the relative duties incumbent on us, Rom. ii. 22. 

Q. 3. " What are the sins of inferiors against their su- 
periors ?" 

A. " Envying at, contempt of, and rebellion against their 
persons and places, in their lawful counsels, commands, 
and corrections." * 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 128. 



REASON ANNEXED TO THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 101 



Q,. 4. " What are the sins of superiors !" 

A. " — Commanding things unlawful, or not in the 
power of inferiors to perform ; counselling, encouraging, 
or favouring them in that which is evil ;" and " dissuading, 
discouraging, or discountenancing them in that which is 
good — " * 

Q,. 5. " What are the sins of equals?" 

A. " — Envying the gifts, grieving at the advancement 
or prosperity one of another, and usurping the pre-emin- 
ence one over another." f 

Q,. 6. What punishment did the law of Moses inflict 
upon children, for smiting or cursing their parents ? 

A. Death, Ex. xxi. 15: "He that smiteth his father, or 
his mother, shall surely be put to death.''' 1 And verse 17: 
" He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be 
put to death." 

Q,. 7. Why was so severe a punishment inflicted for 
these crimes 7 

A. Because either beating or cursing of parents is a sin 
directly opposite to the light and law of nature, and a preg- 
nant evidence, not only of the worst kind of ingratitude, 
but of incurable disobedience ; and therefore the equity 
of this punishment seems to be approved by our Lord 
under the New Testament, Matt. xv. 4. 



Quest. 66. What is the reason annexed to the fifth 
commandment ? 

Ans. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is 
a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall 
serve for God's glory, and their own good) to all such as 
keep this commandment. 

Q. 1. Does the [promise] annexed to this commandment, 
respect temporal or spiritual good ] 

A. It respects temporal good, to show that " godliness 
is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life 
that now is, as well as of that which is to come," 1 Tim. 
iv. 8. 

Q,. 2. What is the temporal good here promised 1 

A. It is [long life ;] in these words, That thy days may 

be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 
Q,. 3. Is it long life merely that is promised, without any 

thing else 1 

A. No ; it is long life [and prosperity,] or the blessings 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 130. 

9* 



t Ibid. Q. 132. 



102 REASON ANNEXED TO THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

and comforts of life ; without which, long life would be a 
grievous burden, Rev. ix. 6. 

Q,. 4. Has not this promise a particular reference to obe- 
dient children among the Jews, their living long in the 
land of Judea, which God gave to them ] 

A. Any reference it had to them, is not exclusive of a 
reference or relation to children that shall honour their 
parents, in any other part of the earth, to the end of the 
world ; for so the apostle explains it, Eph. vi. 2, 3 : " Hon- 
our thy father and thy mother — that it may be well with 
thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth." 

Q,. 5. What is the difference between the promise of 
long life in this commandment, and the promise of mercy 
in the second] 

A. The promise of showing mercy, in the second com- 
mandment, extends to all such as love God, and keep his 
commandments in general ; but the promise of long life 
here, extends only to the keepers of this commandment 
in particular. 

Q,. 6. Has this promise always a literal accomplishment ; 
or, do godly and obedient children always live long on 
earth ! 

A. If any of them are removed by death, in their younger 
years, it is either to take them away from the evil to come, 
Isa. Ivii. 1; or to transplant them, so much sooner, to a 
better country, that is, a heavenly, Heb. xi. 16. 

Q,. 7. What are the things which tend to make a long 
life a happy and comfortable one] 

A. They are these three, among others; growth in 
grace and holiness, in proportion to our advancing in 
years, Ps. xcii. 13, 14 ; retaining the entire exercise of rea- 
son, and some vigour of body, in old age, Deut. xxxiv. 7; 
and continuing useful to others, in our generation, to the 
end, Josh. xxiv. 25, compared with ver. 29. 

Q,. 8. Why is the fifth commandment called the first 
commandment with promise ] Eph. vi. 2. 

A. Because it is the first commandment of the second 
table, and the only commandment in it, that has an ex- 
press promise annexed to it. 

Q,. 9. Why is there a special and express promise an- 
nexed to this commandment, when it is so strongly en- 
forced by the light of nature] 

A. To show the great regard that God has to the lawful 
authority of parents, Deut. xxi. 18 — 22; and to engage 
children to behave dutifully and obsequiously towards 
them, Prov. iv. 10. 

Q. 10. Is the promise of long life, in this commandment, 
absolute or limited 1 

A. It is limited, and that in the most comfortable man- 
ner. 



DUTIES REQUIRED IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 103 

ft. 11. What is the comfortable limitation 1 

A. Long life, with prosperity, is promised [as far as it 

shall serve for God's glory and their own good.] 
ft. 12. Could any wish for long life and prosperity upon 

other terms ! 

A. No child of God will desire any temporal blessing, 
but as it is for God's glory and their good, Prov. xxx. 8. 

ft. 13. What advantage have the godly, with respect to 
temporal blessings, above the wicked 1 

A. They are warranted by promise, which the wicked 
are not, to expect as many temporal good things, as are 
needful and necessary for them, Ps. xxxiv. 10, Isa. xxxiii. 
16: and God's blessing upon what they enjoy, however 
small their portion of temporal comforts may be, Ps. 
xxxvii. 16: "A little that a righteous man hath, is better 
than the riches of many wicked." 



ftUEST. 67. Which is the sixth commandment ? 

Ans. The sixth commandment is, Thau shalt not MIL 

Quest. 68. What is required in the sixth command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful en- 
deavours to preserve our own life, and the life of others. 

ft. L What does this commandment chiefly respect 1 
A. The [life] of man, which is the nearest and most 
valuable of all his temporal concerns, Job ii. 4 : Skin for 
skin ; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life, 
ft. 2. What makes the life of man valuable 1 
A. His being made in the image of God, Gen. ix. 6. 
ft. 3. What does this commandment require with refer- 
ence to man's life 7 

A. [All lawful endeavours to preserve] it, in ourselves 
and others. 

Q. 4. What lawful endeavours should we use for the 
preservation of [our own] life 1 

A. The " just defence thereof against violence ; — a sober 
use of meat, drink, physic, sleep, labour, and recreation." * 

ft. 5. By what means should we endeavour to preserve 
[the life of others 7] 

A. " By resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing 
all passions and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and 
practices, which tend to the unjust taking away the life 
of any."f 



* Larger Catechism, Question 135. 



t Ibid. 



104 DUTIES REQUIRED IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q,. 6. Why are we restricted by the answer to [lawful 

endeavours ]] 

A. To caution and guard us against the unlawful means 
which some have used, for the preservation of their lives. 

Q,. 7. What are the unlawful means which some have 
used for this end 1 

A. Denying the truth, 1 Tim. i. ] 9, 20, and lying, Gen. 
xii. 12, 13. 

d. 8. What will be the consequence of denying the 
truth, for preserving of natural life } 

A. The losing of a better life than that which we thus 
intend to preserve, Matt. xvi. 25, 26. 

Q. 9. May not a lie be told at a time, for preserving life, 
especially if its preservation be for the public good 1 

A. At no time, and on no occasion whatever, are we to 
do evil that good may come, Rom. iii. 8. 

Q,. 1 0. Are we restricted, b)' this commandment, to the 
preservation of bodily life only 1 

A. No ; we are also required to consult the welfare of 
our own souls, and the souls of others. 

QL 11. What is required of us for the welfare of our own 
souls 1 

A. A careful avoiding of all sin, Pro v. xi. 19 ; and a dili- 
gent use of all the means of grace, 1 Pet. ii. 2. 

Q,. 12. What is required of us for promoting the welfare 
of the souls of others 1 

A. That we be communicative of our knowledge and 
experiences to them as occasion offers, Ps. lxvi. 16 ; that 
we pray for them, James v. 1 6 ; and that we set an ex- 
ample of holy walking before them, Matt. v. 16. 

Q,. 13. What are those Christian virtues or graces which 
this commandment requires, in order to the preservation 
of life? 

A. It requires for this end, "love, compassion, meek- 
ness, gentleness, kindness — and comforting, and succour- 
ing the distressed." * 

Q. 14. Why should we bear a love to mankind in gen- 
eral 1 

A. Because they are partakers of the same nature, and 
possessed of the same rational faculties with us, Acts xvii. 
26, 28. 

Q,. 15. How does love contribute to the preservation of 
life? 

A. It covers all those infirmities, and buries all those 
quarrels which tend to raise strife and variance among 
men, Pro v. x. 12. 

Q,. 16. What influence has compassion, upon the duty 
here required 1 



* Larger Catechism, Q. 135. 



SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 105 

A. It affects us so deeply with the calamities and mise- 
ries of our fellow creatures, that it inclines us to relieve 
them according to our ability, Luke x. 33, 34. 

Q,. 17. How does meekness tend to preserve life? 

A, As it governs oar passions, Pro v. xiv. 29, and pre- 
vents our being easily disturbed at the unkind and un- 
mannerly treatment of others, Col. iii. 13. 

Q,. 18. How does gentleness contribute to the duty here 
mentioned 1 

A. As it excites to an affable and courteous behaviour 
towards all with whom we are conversant, 1 Pet. iii. 8, 
and disposes us to put the most favourable construction 
upon any of their actions that may appear doubtful, 1 Cor. 
xiii. 5. 

Q,. 19. What influence has kindness upon preserving 
life ! 

A. As it excites us to the performance of all good offices 
in our power, both to the souls and bodies of men, Rom. 
xii. 10, 12. 

Q,. 20. What should engage us to comfort and succour 
the distressed 1 

A. A desire to honour the Lord with our substance, 
Prov. iii. 9 ; and to lend to him, who will surely pay us 
again, chap. xix. 17. 



Quest. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth com- 
mandment 1 

Ans. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking 
away of our own life or the life of our neighbour unjustly, 
and whatsoever tendeth thereunto. 

Q,. 1. Does this precept [thou shalt not kill] prohibit the 
killing of beasts ! 

A. No : God made a grant of them to man for food, and 
other uses, Gen. ix. 3, and iii. 21: nevertheless, the exer- 
cising cruelty upon beasts (as Balaam did, Num. xxii. 29,) 
is very unbecoming all sober men ; for a righteous man 
regardeth the life of his beast, Prov. xii. 10. 

Q,. 2. Were not the Jews prohibited to seethe a kid in 
his mother's milk, Deut. xiv. 21, and to kill the dam when 
they took the young 1 chap. xxii. 6, 7. 

A. As the doing either of these was an evidence of the 
savage disposition and temper of some men ; so the reason 
of the prohibition, was to curb and restrain all cruelty to 
the brute creatures, in order to prevent any inlet to the 



106 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



horrid sin of murder, or the barbarous usage of one an- 
other. 

Q,. 3. What are the general sins here forbidden 1 

A. [The taking away of our own life, or the life of our 

neighbour unjustly,] or whatever has a tendency to either 

of the two. 

Q,. 4. Is it lawful, in any case, to take away [our own 
life ?] 

A. No: it is absolutely unlawful, in any case whatever, 
to desert our station, or leave the world, without the per- 
mission and allowance of the sovereign Lord of our life, 
Job xiv. 14. 

Q,. 5. Is there any instance in scripture of a good man 
being suffered to lay violent hands on himself? 

A. No : any instances the scripture gives of self-murder, 
are in men of the most infamous character ; such as Saul, 
Ahithophel, Judas, and others of the like stamp. 

Q,. 6. Was not Samson (who was a good man, Heb. xi. 
32,) guilty of this heinous crime] Judges xvi. 30. 

A. When Samson pulled down the house upon himself, 
and upon all the lords of the Philistines, with about three 
thousand men and women that were in it, he did not in- 
tend his own death any farther than as an inevitable con- 
sequence of destroying so many of the church's enemies, 
to which he was called and strengthened in an extraor- 
dinary manner by God, as the Lord of life and death, 
whom he also supplicated for this extraordinary strength, 
Judges xvi. 28 : and herein he was an eminent type of 
Christ, " who, through death, destroyed him that had the 
power of death, that is, the devil," Heb. ii. 14. 

Q,. 7. What are the aggravations of the crime of self- 
murder 1 

A. It is directly opposed to the natural principle of self- 
preservation implanted in us, Job ii. 4 ; it argues the high- 
est impatience, and rooted discontent with our lot in the 
present world, ver. 19: it is an impious invasion of the 
prerogative of God, as the sole author and disposer of life, 
1 Sam. ii. 6 ; and a most daring and presumptuous rush- 
ing upon death, and an awful eternity, chap. xxxi. 4, 5. 

Q,. 8. What is meant in the answer, by taking away 
[the life of our neighbour unjustly 1] 

A. The taking it away in any event, " except in case of 
public justice, lawful war, or necessary defence." * 

Q,. 9. What is it to take away life in case of public 
justice ? 

A. It is to inflict capital punishment upon notorious 
criminals, by a lawful magistrate, who is ordained of God 
for that purpose, Rom. xiii. 2, 4. 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 136. 



IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



107 



Q. 10. What warrant has the civil magistrate to take 
away the life of a wilful murderer] 

A. The express command of God, Gen. ix. 6 : " Whoso 
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." 

Q,. H, Is it lawful to wage war under the New Testa- 
ment I 

A. Yes : as appears from John the Baptist's prescrib- 
ing rules for a military life, Luke iii. 14 ; and Christ's com- 
mending the faith of the centurion, and rinding no fault 
with his office, Matt. viii. 10. 

Q,. 12. What makes war lawful, and the shedding of 
blood in it warrantable 7 

A. When it is undertaken in defence of civil or religious 
liberties, after all due means have been rejected, for ob- 
taining redress of the unjust invasions made upon them, 
Judges xi. 12 — 34. 

Q,. 13. When is the killing of another to be sustained, 
as done in necessary defence 1 

A. When there is no way of flying from the aggressor, 
(which is rather to be chosen, if it can be done with safe- 
ty,) but we must either lose our own life, or take away 
his, Ex. xxii. 2. 

Q,. 14. What if one kill another at unawares, or un- 
willingly 1 

A. ff it is not through any culpable neglect, or careless 
oversight, it is not reputed murder, either by the law of 
God or man, and therefore cities of refuge were of old ap- 
pointed for such, Josh. xx. 9. 

Q,. 15. How are men lavish and prodigal of their lives 
on points of honour ] 

A. By duelling. 

Q. 16. What is a duel] 

A. It is a combat or fight between two private persons, 
upon a challenge given and accepted ; in which each party 
aims at the life or maiming of the other. 

Q. 17. In what lies the sinfulness of such a practice 1 

A. It flows from passion, pride, and insatiable revenge, 
as the springs of it ; and is a bold invasion of God's right 
of vengeance, together with a desperate contempt of 
death, judgment, and eternity, Rom. xii. 19. 

Q. 18. Did not David fight a duel with Goliath'? 

A. No ; he fought by a peculiar divine impulse, under 
the sanction of lawful authority, for the public good, and 
not from any private or personal revenge, 1 Sam. xvii. 
37—53. 

Q,. 19. Who was the first murderer of souls? 
A. The devil, who is therefore called a murderer from 
the beginning, John viii. 44. 
Q,. 20. Who was the first murderer of the body 1 
A. Cain, who slew his brother, Gen. iv. 8. 



108 



OP THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



Q,. 21. Wherefore did he slay him'? 

A. Because his own works were evil, and his brother's 
righteous, 1 John iii. 12. 

Q,. 22. Why was he not put to death? 

A. Because God set a peculiar mark of his displeasure 
upon him, Gen. iv. 15, (worse, in some sort, than natural 
death,) by protracting his miserable life, to be a fugitive, 
and a vagabond in the earth, and a visible monument of 
an intolerable load of guilt, and hopeless despair, ver. 
11, 12. 

Q,. 23. What is the dismal effect of this sin upon mur- 
derers themselves, even though they escape capital pun- 
ishment from men 1 

A. God frequently gives them up to the terror of a 
guilty conscience, which is their continual tormentor, 
Gen. iv. 13, 14. 

Q,. 24. How has God testified his displeasure against 
this sin ] 

A. Ordinarily, by shortening the lives of murderers, Ps. 
Iv. 23 : Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half 
their days: and sometimes by transmitting temporal 
judgments to their posterity; as Saul's murder of the Gibe- 
onites was punished in the death of seven of his sons, 2 
Sam. xxi. 6, 8, 9. 

Q. 25. How may murder be aggravated 1 

A. If committed under pretence of religion, as Jezebel 
murdered Naboth, 1 Kings xxi. 9, 10; and as the Papists 
perpetrate their massacres ; or, if done under the disguise 
and mask of friendship, as Joab killed Amasa, 2 Sam. xx. 
9, 10 ; or, which is unspeakably worse, as Judas betrayed 
our Lord, Matt. xxvi. 48, 49. 

Q,. 26. Does this command forbid only the taking away 
of our own life, and the life of our neighbour unjustly I 

A. It forbids also [whatsoever tends thereto.] 

Q,. 27. What are those things which tend to the taking 
away of our own life 1 

A. " Neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and neces- 
sary means of preserving it ; — all excessive passions, dis- 
tracting cares, and immoderate use of meat, drink, labour, 
and recreation." * 

Q,. 28. How may we be guilty before God, of taking 
away the life of our neighbour, though we do not actually 
imbrue our hands in his blood I 

A. We may be guilty this way in our hearts, with our 
tongues, and by our actions. 

Q. 29. How may we be guilty of murder in our hearts 1 

A. By harbouring " sinful anger, hatred, envy, and a 
desire of revenge."! 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 136, with the scriptures quoted, t Ibid 



IN THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 



Q,. 30. May there be anger which is not sinful ? 

A. Yes : when there is a detestation of the sin, and yet 
no dislike of the person ; in which sense the apostle says, 
" Be ye angry and sin not," Eph. iv. 26. 

Q,. 31. What is the hazard of sinful anger? 

A. " Whosoever is angry with his brother, without a 
cause, shall be in danger of the judgment," Matt. v. 22. 

Q,. 32. What is it to be in danger of the judgment ] 

A. It is to be in danger of eternal punishment in the 
other world, for the breach of this commandment, if rich 
and sovereign grace prevent it not, Prov. xix. 19. 

Q,. 33. How does hatred tend to take away the life of 
our neighbour ? 

A. It has such a tendency to it, that whosoever hateth 
his brother is accounted a murderer, 1 John iii. 15. 

Q. 34. What tendency has envy to the taking away of 
life? 

A. As it is grieved at the good of another, or takes a 
secret pleasure in his death, Prov. xxvii. 4. 

Q,. 35. How does desire of revenge tend to take away 
life] 

A. As it is accompanied with an inward habitual im- 
precation of some visible or remarkable judgment upon 
the person who is the object of it, quite contrary to the 
command of God, Rom. xii. 19 : " Avenge not yourselves ; 
— for it is written, Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, saith 
the Lord." 

Q,. 36. How may we be guilty of what tends to take 
away the life of our neighbour with our tongues ? 

A. By bitter and provoking words, Prov. xii. 18 ; or 
threatening", reviling and deriding speeches, Matt. v. 22. 
Qu 37. How may we be guilty, this way, by our actions 
A. By oppression, Ezek. xviii. 18 ; quarrelling, Gal. v. 
15; striking or wounding, Num. xxxv. 21, and the like. 
Q,. 38. What may we learn from this commandment 1 
A. That however innocent we may be of the actual 
blood-shedding of others, yet we are still chargeable with 
the worst kind of murder, even that of our own souls, 
while we will not come to Christ, that we might have life, 
John v. 40, he being the only living and true way, chap, 
xiv. 6; and "no other name under heaven given among 
men whereby we must be saved," Acts iv. 12. 



Quest. 70. What is the seventh commandment ? 

Ans. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not 
commit adultery \ 
Part II.— 10 



110 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Quest. 71. What is required in the seventh com- 

mandment ? 

Ans. The seventh commandment requireth the pre- 
servation of our own and our neighbour's chastity, in 
heart, speech, and behaviour. 

Q,. I. What is [chastity?] 

A. It is an abhorrence of all uncleanness, whether in 
the body, or in the mind and affections, Job xxxi. 1. 

Q,. 2. What does this commandment require with refer- 
ence to such chastity 1 

A. [The preservation] of it, both in ourselves, and in 
our neighbours. 

Q,. 3. What is the best means for preserving our ow r n 
and our neighbour's chastity 1 

A. The cherishing in our minds and consciences a con- 
tinual regard, reverence, and awe of the divine Majesty, 
and a fear of displeasing him, Prov. v. 20, 21. 

Q. 4. What influence w r ill this have upon the preserva- 
tion of chastity ] 

A. It will make us boldly resist all assaults or attacks 
that may be made upon it ; as in the instance of Joseph, 
when solicited by his master's wife to lie with her, he re- 
fused ; and said — " How can I do this great wickedness, 
and sin against God ?" Gen. xxxix. 7 — 9. 

Q,. 5. Wherein are we to preserve [our own and our 
neighbour's chastity ?] 

A. [In heart, speech, and behaviour.] 

Q,. 6. How ought we [in heart] to preserve our own 
chastity % 

A. By resisting the very first emotions of lust in the 
soul, Prov. iv. 23 ; by repelling all wanton imaginations, 
Matt. v. 28 ; and by essaying" both these in the w T ay of 
praying to .God that he would turn away our hearts and 
eyes from beholding vanity, Ps. cxix. 37. 

Q. 7. How ought we to preserve our [neighbour's chas- 
tity] in our hearts 1 

A. Not only by ardently desiring the preservation of 
it, but by loving one another with a pure heart fervently, 
1 Pet. i. 22. 

d. 8. How ought we to preserve our own and our neigh- 
bour's chastit}^ in our [speech?] 

A. By " letting no corrupt communication proceed out 
of our mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edify- 
ing, that it may minister grace unto the hearers," Eph. 
iy. 29. 

Q. 9. How T should we do this in our [behaviour ]] 



IN THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 



Ill 



A. By such a uniform modesty in our conduct and de- 
portment, as may evidence that every one of us possesses 
his vessel, (that is, his body,) in sanctification and honour, 
1 Thess. iv. 4. 

Q,. 10. Why should we be so careful to preserve our 
chastity 1 

A. Because we should study to have our bodies to be 
the temples of the Holy Ghost, and therefore should keep 
them free from those pollutions which are so provoking to 
a holy God, 1 Cor. vi. 19. 

Q,. 11. What is the ordinary mean of divine appointment 
for the preservation of chastity 1 

A. Lawful wedlock or marriage, 1 Cor. vii. 2 : " Never- 
theless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own 
wife, and let every woman have her own husband." 

Q,. 12. When was marriage first instituted] 

A. Before the fall, in paradise, Gen. ii. 24. 

Q,. 13. For what end was it instituted?. 

A. " For the mutual help of husband and wife, Gen. ii. 18 ; 
for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and 
of the church with a holy seed, Mai. ii. 15; and for pre- 
venting of uncleanness," 1 Cor. vii. 2.* 

Q,. 14. What is necessary to constitute marriage 1 

A. The voluntary and mutual consent of both parties, 
Gen. xxiv. 58, 67. 

Q. 15. Who may be lawfully married'? 

A. " All sorts of people, who are able, with judgment, 
to give their consent," Heb. xiii. 4 : " Marriage is honour- 
able in all." f 

Q,. 16. What is the duty of Christians with reference to 
marriage 1 

A. It is to marry only in the Lord, 1 Cor. vii. 39. 
Q,. 17. What is the native import of marrying " only in 
the Lord?" 

A. It plainly imports, that " such as profess the true re- 
formed religion should not marry with infidels, Papists, or 
other idolaters : neither should such as are godly be une- 
qually yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously 
wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies." J 

Q,. 18. What is an incestuous marriage'? 

A. It is that which is within the degrees of consanguini- 
ty, or affinity, forbidden in the word, Lev. xviii. 6 — 18. 

Q,. 19. What is the meaning of the words consanguinity 
and affinity 7 

A. Consanguinity is a relation by blood, being between 
persons descended from the same family: Affinity is an 
alliance by marriage, between persons who were not blood 
relations before. 



* Confession, chap. xxiv. §2. t Ibid. § 3. 

X Confession of Faith, chap. xxiv. $ 3, with the scripture proofs. 



112 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



Q,. 20. What is the general rule for preventing incestu- 
ous marriages ? 

A. " The man may not marry any of his wife's kindred 
nearer in blood than he may of his own : nor the woman 
of her husband's kindred nearer in blood than of her 
own."* 

Q,. 21. Is it proper to call marriage a holy state? 

A. No ; because they who are without the visible church, 
such as heathens, Turks, and Jews, may marry as well as 
the professed members of it, Heb. xiii. 4. 

Q,. 22. Was marriage instituted to signify the " mystical 
union that is between Christ and his church," as the Book 
of Common Prayer affirms 1 

A. No; because this borders too near upon making 
marriage a sacrament, as the Papists do ; in as much as 
an outward visible sign, of divine institution, and a spirit- 
ual benefit signified by it, would make it partake of the 
nature of a sacrament. 

Q,. 23. Does not the apostle make it a significant sign, 
when he says, " Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ 
loved the church 1" Eph. v. 25. 

A. He exhorts husbands to have such a love to their 
wives, as may bear a faint resemblance in some respects, 
to the love of Christ ; but does not make the one a sign 
significant of the other. 

Q,. 24. Is not marriage called a great mystery 1 ver. 32. 

A. It is not marriage that is called a great mystery, but 
the union that is between Christ and the members of his 
mystical body ; as will appear by reading the whole verse, 
" This is a great mystery ; but I speak concerning Christ 
and the Church" 



Quest. 72. What is forbidden in the seventh com- 
mandment ? 

Ans. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all un- 
chaste thoughts, words, and actions. 

Q,. 1. What is forbidden in this commandment under 
the name of Adultery ? 

A, All sorts of unchastity or uncleanness, of what kind, 
or in what manner soever committed, Eph. v. 3. 

Q. 2. In what respects may persons be guilty of unchas- 
tity or uncleanness 1 

A. They may be guilty this way, in their [thoughts, 
words, and actions.] 

* Confession of Faith, $4. 



IN THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 



113 



Q,. 3. When are persons chargeable before God with un- 
chaste [thoughts 1] 

A. When lustful desires are entertained and gratified in 
the mind ; and, as it were, acted in the imagination, Prov. 
vi. 18, Matt. v. 28. 

Q,. 4. What are the usual incentives to unchaste 
thoughts 1 

A. " Lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancings, stage- 
plays, and the like." * 

Q,. 5. What influence have stage-plays upon fomenting 
unchaste thoughts ! 

A. They are generally stuffed with such amorous adven- 
tures, many of them of a most criminal nature, that they 
have a native tendency to debauch and defile the mind. 
If no corrupt communication is to proceed out of our 
mouth, according to Eph. iv. 29, neither ought we to listen 
to it with our ears, as is done by those who attend the pro- 
fane diversions of the stage. 

Q,. 6. What is meant by unchaste [words 1] 

A. All filthy, obscene, or smutty discourse ; than which, 
nothing can be more grating and disagreeable to modest 
ears, Eph. v. 4. 

Q. 7. What are the unchaste [actions] that are forbidden 
in this commandment 1 

A. Besides several others, that ought not to be named 
among Heathens, far less Christians, there are these fol- 
lowing : polygamy, unjust divorce, fornication, and adul- 
tery, properly so called. 

Q,. 8. What is Polygamy ? 

A. It is the having more wives or husbands than one at 
the same time, Mai. ii. 14. 

Q,. 9. Is this a sin contrary to the law of nature ? 

A. Yes ; for it is contrary to the first institution of mar- 
riage ; God having created but one woman, as a help meet 
for man ; Gen. ii. 22 — 25, compared with Matt, xix, 5, 6. 

Q,. 10. Is it a sin prohibited in scripture ! 

A. Yes ; Lev. xviii. 18 : " Thou shalt not take a wife to 
her sister, to vex her — in her lifetime." 

Q,. 1 1 . What is the meaning of taking a wife to her sister 1 

A. The meaning is, (according to the marginal reading,) 
Thou shalt not take one wife to another; that is, thou 
shalt not have more wives than one at a time. 

Q. 12. But may not this be a prohibition of incest, 
namely, of marrying the wife's sister 3 

A. No ; because it is said, Thou shalt not do it in her 
lifetime ; whereas it would be incestuous in a man to mar- 
ry his sister-in-law, after his wife's death, as well as to do it 
in her lifetime ; so that the meaning is, Thou shalt not take 



* Larger Catechism, Question 139 
10* 



114 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



another wife to her whom thou hast married, by which 
means they would become sisters. 

Q,. 13. Who was the first polygamist we read of in 
scripture 1 

A. Lamech, of the posterity of Cain, who had two wives, 
Gen. iv. 19. 

Q,. 14. Were not several of the godly likewise guilty in 
this matter, as Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and 
others 1 

A. Yes ; but though these and other bad actions of good 
men are recorded in scripture, they are not approved of, 
nor proposed for our imitation ; but rather set up as bea- 
cons, to prevent our making shipwreck on the same rocks. 

€1. 15. Has not God even testified his displeasure at the 
sin of polygamy, in the godly, though we do not read of 
his reproving them for it in express words ] 

A. Yes : he has testified his displeasure in the course of 
his providence, by the emulations, quarrels, and disturb- 
ances, that were thus occasioned in their families ; as in 
the instances of Sarah and Hagar, in Abraham's family, 
Gen. xxi. 10, 11; of Leah and Rachel, in Jacob's, Gen. 
xxx. 1, 15; and of Hannah and Peninnah, in Elkanah's 
family, 1 Sam. i. 6. 

Q,. 16. Does not God seem to approve of polygamy, when 
he says to David, " I gave thee thy master's wives into 
thy bosom ?" 2 Sam. xii. 8. 

A. It being the custom of those times, for succeeding 
kings to take possession of all that belonged to their pre- 
decessors, the meaning is, I have made thee king, in room 
of Saul, and have given thee the property of all that ap- 
pertained to him : but we do not read of David taking any 
of Saul's wives into his bed. 

Q,. 17. What is an unjust divorce? 

A. It is the prosecuting and obtaining a dissolution of 
marriage, upon other grounds than such as are warranted 
in the word of God, and by right reason. 

Q,. 18. What are the grounds upon which a divorce may 
be sued for, and obtained, according to the word of God 
and right reason 1 

A. " Although the corruption of man be such as is apt 
to study arguments, unduly to put asunder those whom 
God hath joined together in marriage; yet nothing but 
adultery, or such wilful desertion, as can no way be reme- 
died by the church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient 
of dissolving the bond of marriage, Matt. xix. 8, 9. 1 Cor. 
vii. 15."* 

Q,. 19. Did not Moses suffer the Israelites to put away 
their wives, upon slighter grounds than that of adultery, 
as may be alleged from Deut. xxiv. 1] 

* Confession of Faith, chap. xxiv. § 6. 



IN THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 



115 



A. Moses, in the text cited, gives no positive command 
about divorces in such cases ; but only, in order to re- 
strain the licentious freedom of the Israelites, in turning 
off" their wives, at their own hand, upon every trivial oc- 
casion, he enjoins that none put away his wife, but upon 
a legal process or a bill of divorce, obtained in the ordi- 
nary course of law ; which is the true meaning of the 
place. 

Q,. 20. Why then does our Lord tell the Pharisees, Matt, 
xix. 8, " Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, 
suffered you to put away your wives]" 

A. The meaning is, Moses, because of the wicked and 
malicious disposition of the Jews, and in order to prevent 
a greater evil, namely, the ill usage, or even killing of their 
hated wives, (if they could not be separated from them) 
permitted processes of divorce to be legally commenced. 

Q,. 21. Why is it added, " but from the beginning it was 
not so r' 

A. Because, according to the original institution of mar- 
riage, nothing could dissolve it but the death of one of the 
parties, Matt. xix. 6 : " Wherefore they are no more twain, 
but one flesh. What, therefore, God hath joined together, 
let no man put asunder." 

Q,. 22. Is it lawful to marry after a divorce is obtained ? 

A. " It is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a di- 
vorce ; and after the divorce, to marry another, as if the 
offending party were dead." * 

Q,. 23. Is the innocent party obliged, from Matt. v. 32, 
to sue for a divorce i 

A. No : divorces are not enjoined as a precept, but al- 
lowed as a privilege, which the innocent party may claim, 
or not, as they please. 

Q,. 24. What if the adultery be on both sides 1 

A. In that case the right of divorce seems to be taken 
away from each of them. 

Q,. 25. What is fornication ? 

A. It is uncleanness committed between a man and a 
woman, both of them being unmarried ; as it would seem 
Shechem and Dinah were, when guilty this way, Gen. 
xxxiv. 2. 

Q,. 26. Was this esteemed a sin among the Heathens 1 

A. No : they made light of it, (as too many professed 
Christians have always done :) hence the synod of Jerusa- 
lem enjoined the converted Gentiles to abstain from for- 
nication, Acts xv. 29. 

Q,. 27. In what lies the evil of this sin 1 

A. It defiles the body, 1 Cor. vi. 18; stupefies the con- 
science, Hos. iv. 11; and exposes to eternal wrath and 
damnation, 1 Cor. vi. 9. 

* Confession of J^aith, chap. xxiv. section 5. 



116 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Q,. 28. What is adultery properly so called ? 

A. It is uncleanness committed between a man and a 
woman, either both or one of them at least, in a married 
relation. 

Q,. 29. What is it commonly called when both the guilty 
persons are married ! 

A. It is called double adultery, as was the case between 
David and Bathsheba, 2 Sam. xi. 3, 4. 

Q,. 30. Whether are the consequences to families worse, 
w 7 hen the man is married and the woman free ; or when 
the woman is married and the man free I 

A. The consequences to families seem to be worse when 
the woman is married; because a man's offspring is thus 
corrupted, and his inheritance is alienated to a spurious 
issue. 

Q,. 31. What are the aggravations of this heinous sin? 

A. It is a breach of the marriage oath, Mai. ii. 14 ; an 
involving of two at once in the same guilt, 1 Cor. vi. 16 ; 
and is a crime committed after obtaining the remedy 
which God has provided against it, chap. vii. 2. 

Q,. 32. What are the fatal effects of adultery in this life ? 

A. It consumes the body, Pro v. v. 11; wastes a man's 
estate, bringing him to a piece of bread, chap. vi. 26 ; and 
leaves an indelible blot upon his name : His reproach shall 
not be wiped away, ver. 33. 

Q,. 33. What will be the effect of it in the life to come ? 

A. Eternal wrath and damnation, if rich mercy and 
grace prevent it not, Eph. v. 5. 

Q,. 34. How does God testify his abhorrence of this sin ? 

A. By declaring that he will reserve the punishment of 
it, in his own hand, to be inflicted in a very peculiar man- 
ner, upon such as are guilty of it, Heb. xiii. 4 : Whore- 
mongers and adulterers God will judge. 

Q,. 35. What are the usual incentives to this and other 
acts of uncleanness ? 

A. Drunkenness, Gen. xix. 33; fulness of bread, and 
abundance of idleness, Ezek. xvi. 49. 

Q. 36. What is the evil of idleness? 

A. It is a deliberate wasting of precious time, to the 
manifest detriment both of soul and body, Eccl. x. 18 ; and 
is a fit season for temptations to lust, Prov. vii. 7, 8. 

Q,. 37. In what consists the evil of gluttony? 

A. It indisposes for all duty, both religious and civil, 
Prov. xxiii. 21; and is making a god of our belly, Phil, 
iii. 19. 

Q,. 38. What is the evil of drunkenness ? 

A. It deforms the image of God in the soul, by divesting 
a man of the right use of his reason ; and leaves him de- 
fenceless against all temptations, Prov. xxiii. 29, 30. 



IN THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 117 

Q. 39. What are the proper remedies against lust, and 
all the incentives to iU 

A. A serious reflection upon the all-seeing eye of an in- 
finitely holy God, Gen. xxxix. 9; walking in the Spirit, 
which will preserve us from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, 
Gal. v. 16; keeping a strict watch over our hearts, Pro v. 
iv. 23 ; studying to shun all occasions of this sin by the 
external senses^ Job xxxi. 1; and fervent prayer to God to 
be kept from it, and all temptations to it, Ps. cxix. 37. 



Quest. 73. Which is the eighth commomdment ? 
Ans. The eighth commandment is Thou shall not 
steal. <j 

Quest. 74. What is required in the eighth com- 
mandment ? 

Ans. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful 
procuring and farthering the wealth and outward estate 
of ourselves and others. 

Q. 1. What is the subject matter of this commandment 1 
A. [The wealth and outward estate of ourselves and 
others.] 

Q. 2. What does it require with reference to these ] 
A. [The procuring and furthering] of them. 
Q. 3. In what manner does it enjoin us to procure and 
further them 1 

A. Only in a [lawful] manner ; for it requires the lawful 
procuring and furthering of them. 

Q. 4. Whose wealth is it we should procure and further? 

A. Our own wealth, and that of others. 

Q. 5. By what lawful means should we procure and 
further our own wealth \ 

A. By labour and industry in some honest calling, Eph. 
iv. 28. 

Q. 6. What is included in the labour and industry we 
should exercise in our respective stations and callings 1 

A. Frugality in managing the affairs of our calling, and 
a moderate endeavour to recover our own when wrong- 
fully detained from us. 

Q. 7. What is to be understood by frugality in man- 
aging the affairs of our calling ] 

A. Prudence and moderation in our expenses, so as 
to be sure always to spend within our incomes, Pro v. 
xxxi. 16. 



118 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Q,. 8. Is it warrantable to go to law, for recovering our 
own, when wrongfully detained 1 

A. Yes, surely ; provided other means have been pre- 
viously tried without success. 

Q,. 9. How do you prove that it is warrantable for Chris- 
tians to go to law with one another, when urged by ne- 
cessity ? 

A. From the lawfulness of magistracy, which is the or- 
dinance of God, Rom. xiii. 2, for the punishment of evil 
doers, and for the praise of them that do well, 1 Pet. ii. 14. 

Q,. 10. Does not our Lord find fault with this method, 
when he says, " If any man will sue thee at the law, and 
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also W Matt, 
v. 40. 

A. The meaning is, that we should rather part with, a 
little of our right, than run ourselves into unnecessary 
charges at law, perhaps vastly beyond the value of what 
we are seeking to regain; and thus discover a conten- 
tious and quarrelsome spirit, unbecoming Christianity. 

Q,. 11. Does not the apostle also blame Christians for 
this practice, when he says, " Ye go to law one with an- 
other; why do ye not rather take wrong?" 1 Cor. vi. 7. 

A. The apostle is there speaking of bringing pleas un- 
necessarily before Heathen magistrates ; and his meaning 
is, that Christians should make up differences among them- 
selves, by submitting to arbitration ; or even by suffering 
some wrong, rather than by vexatious law-suits, (espe- 
cially about lesser matters) thus bringing a scandal upon 
the religion which they profess. 

Q,. 12. How is the necessity of labouring in an honest 
calling enforced in scripture ! 

A. From the necessity of eating : the apostle argues 
from the natural necessity of the one, to the moral neces- 
sity of the other, 2 Thess. iii. 10: "This we commanded 
you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." 

Q,. 13. Can we procure and further our wealth and out- 
ward estate, merely by our own labour and industry'? 

A. Our own industry is necessary; but without the 
Lord's blessing upon it, it will not be successful ; for it is 
the blessing of the Lord that maketh rich, Prov. x. 22. 

Q. 14. What ends should we propose to ourselves, in 
endeavouring to further, or increase, our own outward 
estate ? 

A. That we may honour the Lord, with our substance, 
Prov. iii. 9; live comfortably ourselves, Eccl. v. 19; and 
be useful to others, Eph. iv. 28. 

Q,. 15. By what means should we procure and further 
the wealth and outward estate of others 1 

A. By exercising justice and righteousness towards all, 



IN THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



119 



Ps. xv. 2 ; and by relieving the wants and necessities of 
those who stand in need of our charity, 1 John iii. 17. 

Q. 16. What is the rule and standard of that justice and 
righteousness we should exercise towards all men ? 

A. That we so deal with others, as we would have them 
deal with us, if we were in their place or condition ; or, 
that we should never do that to another, which, if we were 
in the other's place or circumstances, we would reckon to 
be unjust, Matt. vii. 12. 

Q,. 17. In what cases is this rule to be particularly ap- 
plied, according to the scope of this commandment ? 

A. In all contracts, or matters of traffic and commerce 
between man and man ; and likewise in making satisfac- 
tion for injuries. 

Q,. 18. How is it to be applied in contracts, or matters 
of traffic between man and man 7 

A. It is to be applied thus: that in buying and selling, 
there be always a just proportion between the price and 
the thing sold ; or, that the sale be according to the worth 
or value of the goods, without taking the advantage of 
ignorance or poverty on either side, Gen. xxiii. 15, 16. 

Q. 19. How may the worth and value of goods be 
known] 

A. By this general maxim, That every thing is worth 
as much as it may be currently sold for. 

Q,. 20. May not the price of the same commodity vary 
and change at different times'? 

A. Yes ; according to the plenty or scarcity of the com- 
modity at the time of sale. 

Q,. 21. What satisfaction should be made to others, for 
taking or detaining what belongs to them, or in any man- 
ner defrauding them] 

A. No other satisfaction is agreeable to God's will of 
precept, or will gain the approbation of men, but restitu- 
tion, if the injuring party is ever capable to make it, Lev. 
vi. 2—6. 1 Sam. xii, 3. 

Q,. 22. What if the person to whom the restitution should 
be made, or his nearest of kin, cannot be found ] . 

A. In that case, what has been unjustly detained ought 
to be given to the poor, or some pious use, Num. v. 8. 

Q,. 23. Is relieving the necessities of the poor a duty 
required in this commandment 1 

A. Yes; because it is a furthering the outward estate 
of our neighbour who is in want. 

Q,. 24. Why should we relieve the necessities of the 
poor? 

A. Because, " He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth 
to the Lord ; and that which he hath given, will he pay 
him again," Prov. xix. 17. 

Q,. 25. Who are the proper objects of chanty ? 



120 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



A. All who are in real poverty and want, and are not 
able to work ; especially those who are of the household 
of faith, Gal. vi. 10. 

Q,. 26. How should our acts of charity be managed ! 

A. They should be conducted with prudence, namely, 
as our own circumstances will permit, and the necessity 
of the object requires, 1 John iii. 17. 

Q,. 27. When should we perform acts of charity ? 

A. Presently, if the necessities of those whom we are 
bound to relieve, call for present assistance, Prov. iii. 28. 

Q,. 28. What should we shun or avoid, in our acts of 
charity ? 

A. All ostentation, or a desire to be seen of men, and 
commended by them, Matt. vi. 2 — 5. 



Quest. 75. What is forbidden in the eighth com- 
mandment ? 

Ans. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever 
doth or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbour's 
wealth or outward estate. 

Q. 1. What does the forbidding of Theft necessarily 

suppose i 

A. That there are distinct rights and properties among 
men, which cannot be justly invaded or encroached upon, 
Lev. vi. 4, 

Q,. 2. What would be the necessary consequences of a 
community of goods among men? 

A. It would destroy traffic and commerce ; abolish all 
acts of charity ; encourage sloth and idleness ; and if there 
were no right and property there could be no encroachment 
upon it by theft or stealing. 

Q. 3. From whom are we forbidden to steal? 

A. Both from ourselves and others. 

Q,. 4. How may we be said to steal from ourselves ? 

A. By idleness niggardliness, and prodigality. 

5. How do we steal from ourselves, or impair our 
own estates, by idleness? 

A. When we either live without a lawful calling, Prov. 
xix. 15 ; or neglect it, if we have any, chap, xviii. 9. 

Q,. 6. How may a person be said to steal from himself 
by niggardliness ? 

A. When he defrauds himself of the due use and comfort 
of that estate which God has given him, Eccl. vi. 2. 

Q,. 7. How do persons on the other hand, steal from 
themselves, by prodigality ? 



IN THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



121 



A. By being lavish and profuse in spending above their 
income, Pro v. xxiii. 20, 21. 

Q,. 8. What is the sin which is more directly pointed at 
in this commandment 1 

A. It is stealing from others ; or laying hands upon, and 
taking away unjustly, that which is the right and property 
of another. 

Q,. 9. How many ways may persons be said to steal 
from others, or [unjustly hinder their neighbour's wealth 
or outward estate ?] 

A. Several ways ; particularly, by theft, robbery, reset- 
ting, defrauding, monopolizing, and taking unlawful usury. 

Q, 10. What is theft ? 

A. It is the taking away clandestinely, or privily from 
another, that which is his, Lev. xix. 11. 
Q,. 11. How is theft commonly distinguished ? 
A. Into private and public, 
d. 12. What is private theft? 

A. It is the taking away less or more of any private 
person's property, without their knowledge or consent, 
Obadiah ver. 5. 

Q. 13. Against whom is public theft committed? 

A. Both against the church and commonwealth. 

Q. 14. How is public theft called, as committed against 
the church ? 

A. Either Simony or sacrilege. 

Q. 15. What is Simony? 

A. It is the buying and selling of ecclesiastical places 
and offices for money, or other good deeds ; so called, from 
the wicked practice of Simon Magus, who offered the 
apostles " money, saying, Give me also this power, that 
on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy 
Ghost," Acts viii. 18, 19. 

Q. 1 6. What is sacrilege ? 

A. It is the taking away or alienating of any thing which 
has been dedicated to a sacred use, Pro v. xx. 25, Mai. iii. 8. 

Q,. 17. Why are these called public theft, when, for the 
most part, they are privately committed ? 

A. Because they very much affect the public interest 
and welfare of the church ; nothing having a greater ten- 
dency to her ruin, than Simoniacal compacts and sacrileg- 
ious usurpations. 

Q,. 18. In what consists public theft, as committed against 
the commonwealth 1 

A. In embezzling the current coin, or doing detriment 
to the public for private advantage, Rom. xiii. 7. Phil. ii. 4. 

Q,. 19. What is robbery or rapine? 

A. It is the taking away the goods of another by violence 
and open force, Job xx. 19. 

Q,. 20. In what lies the aggravation of this crime? 

Part IL— 11 



122 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



A. In its being an avowed pillaging or plundering of our 
neighbour; and in" being ordinarily accompanied with a 
threatening to take away his life, if he ventures to make 
the least resistance, Judges ix. 25. 

Q,. 21. What is the evil of resetting, or receiving of what 
is taken away, whether by stealth or violence ] 

A. It is a manifest encouragement of, and participation 
with thieves and robbers in their sins, Ps. 1. 18 ; and con- 
sequently, a coming under the same guilt and condemna- 
tion with them, Prov. xxix. 24. 

Q,. 22. How do men commonly defraud one another] 

A. In buying, selling and borrowing. 

Q,. 23. How do they defraud in buying] 

A. By depreciating and vilifying what they intend to 
buy, that they may have it cheaper than the value, Prov. 
xx. 14. 

Q,. 24. How do they defraud one another in selling 1 
A. By taking an unreasonable price, 1 Thess. iv. 6 ; or, 

cheating by false weights and measures, Deut. xxv. 13 — 15. 
Q. 25. How do they defraud in borrowing 1 
A. When they borrow what they know they can never 

be able, in the ordinary course of providence, to pay, Ps. 

xxx vii. 21. 

Q. 26. If a man's creditors compound with him for less 
than he owes, is he therefore discharged of the whole debt ] 

A. Though his creditors, for fear of losing all, may com- 
pound and discharge for a part, so that there can be no 
action in law for the remainder ; yet, in the court of con- 
science, and before God, he is bound, if ever he is able, to 
pay every farthing : and, if he is an honest man, he will 
never reckon his substance his own, till he do it, Rom. 
xiii. 8. 

Q,. 27. How may servants defraud their masters ! 

A. By wasting their masters' goods, which they may 
have in their hands ; and not working faithfully for their 
wages, Tit. ii. 9, 10. 

Q. 23. How may masters defraud their servants 1 

A. By detaining from, or tricking them out of their 
wages, Lev. xix. 13; or by exacting of them too rigorous 
labour, Ex. v. 9. 

Q,. 29. What is it to monopolize] 

A. It is to engross commodities, in order to enhance the 
price of them. 

Q,. 30. What is the worst kind of monopolizing or fore- 
stalling ] 

A. It is the buying up grain, or other provisions, in large 
quantities, in order to exact a higher price for them after- 
wards. 

Q, 31. In what consists the evil of this sin ] 

A. They who are guilty of it enrich themselves upon 



IN THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 



123 



the spoils of others, Ezek. xxii. 29 ; they grind the faces 
of the poor, Isa. iii. 15; and bring upon themselves the 
curse of the people, Prov. xi. 26 : " He that withholdeth 
corn, the people shall curse him ; but blessings shall be 
upon the head of him that selleth it." 

Q,. 32. What is it to take usury, according to the proper 
signification of the word I 

A. It is to take gain, profit, or interest, for the loan of 
money. 

Q,. 33. What kind of usury or interest is lawful 1 

A. That which is moderate, easy, and no way oppres- 
sive, Deut. xxiii. 20, compared with Ex. xxii. 21. 

Q,. 34. How do you prove that moderate usury is lawful 1 

A. From the very light of nature, which teaches, that 
since the borrower proposes to gain by the loan, the lender 
should have a reasonable share of his profit, as a recom- 
pense for the use of his money, which he might otherwise 
have disposed of to his own advantage, 1 Cor. viii. 13. 

Q,. 35. What is the usury condemned in scripture, and 
by right reason ? 

A. It is the exacting of more interest or gain for the loan 
of money, than is settled by universal consent, and the 
laws of the land, Prov. xxviii. 8 : " He that by usury, and 
unjust gain, increaseth his substance, shall gather it for 
him that will pity the poor." - 

Q,. 36. How do you prove from scripture, that moderate 
usury, or common interest, is not oppression in itself? 

A. From the express command laid upon the Israelites 
not to oppress a stranger, Ex. xxiii. 9; and yet their being 
allowed to take usury from him, Deut. xxiii. 20; which 
they would not have been permitted to do, if there had 
been an intrinsic evil in the thing itself. 

Q,. 37. Is it warrantable to take interest from the poor 1 

A. By no means ; for, if such as are honest, and in needy 
circumstances, borrow a small sum towards a livelihood, 
and repay it in due time, it is all that can be expected of 
them ; and therefore the demanding of any profit or inte- 
rest, or even taking any of their necessaries of life in 
pledge, for the sum, seems to be plainly contrary to the 
law of charity, Ex. xxii. 25 — 28. Ps. xv. 5. 

Q,. 38. Were not the Israelites forbidden to take usury 
from their brethren, whether poor or rich ? Deut. xxiii. 19 : 
" Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother." 

A. This text is to be restricted to their poor brethren, 
as it is explained, Ex. xxii. 25, and Lev. xxv. 35, 36 ; or, 
if it respects the Israelites indifferently, then it is one of 
the judicial laws peculiar to that people, and of no binding 
force now. 

Q,. 39. What is the spring of all these different w T ays, by 



124 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



which men defraud and injure one another in their out- 
ward estate I 

A. Covetousness, Luke xii. 15, or an inordinate prizing 
and loving of worldly goods, Ps. lxii. 10. 

Q,. 40. What should affright and deter every one from 
such wicked practices I 

A. The consideration of the curse that shall enter into 
the house of the thief, Zech. v. 3, 4 ; and of the vengeance 
that shall light upon such as go beyond and defraud their 
neighbour : for, the Lord is the avenger of all such, 1 
Thess. iv. 6. 



Quest. 76. Which is the ninth commandment ? 
Ans. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not 
bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

Quest. 77. What is required in the ?ii?ith command- 
ment 1 

Ans. The ninth commandment requireth the maintain- 
ing and promoting of truth between man and man, and of 
our own and our neighbour's good name, especially in 
witness-bearing. 

Q,. 1. In what does the ninth commandment differ from 
the three preceding ones 1 

A. The three commands immediately preceding, have a 
respect to the injuries that may be done to ourselves or 
others by deeds or actions ; but the ninth has a reference 
to wrongs done by words. 

Q. 2. What is the general duty required in this com- 
mandment ! 

A. It is [the maintaining and promoting of truth be- 
tween man and man.] 

Q,. 3. What is the truth, between man and man, we are 
required to maintain and promote 7 

A. It is the strict veracity of our words or speeches, in 
whatever we assert or deny; whether in our ordinary 
conversation, or in our oaths, promises, bargains, and 
contracts, Zech. viii. 16: " Speak ye every man the truth 
to his neighbour." 

Q. 4. In what consists the strict veracity that ought to 
be in our words and speeches 1 

A. In uttering things as they really are in themselves, 
according to our belief of them ; that is, that there be an 



IN THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 



125 



exact agreement and harmony between our thoughts, 
words, and the things themselves, Ps. xv. 1, 2: "Who 
shall dwell in thy holy hill'? He that— speaketh truth in 
his heart." 

Q,. 5. Why will God have nothing to be uttered but 
strict truth ? 

A. Because he is " a God of truth, and without iniquity ; 
just and right is he," Deut. xxxii. 4. 

Q,. 6. Is it lawful at any time to conceal part of the 
truth? 

A. Yes ; when neither the glory of God, nor our own, 
or our neighbour's good requires that the whole of it be 
told ; only no untruth must be uttered in concealing it, 1 
Sam. xvi. 2, 5. 

Q. 7. What is the chief end for which the tongue or gift 
of speech is conferred upon us 1 

A. That we may thus glorify God by praying to, Ps. I. 
15, and praising him, verse 23; and by contending earn- 
estly for, Jude verse 3, and confessing his truth, Rom. x. 
10 ; hence is the tongue called our glory, Ps. xxx. 12 : " To 
the end that my glory [that is, my tongue, as on the mar- 
gin] may sing praise unto thee, and not be silent." 

Q. 8. What is the subordinate end of it ? 

A. The edification and profit of our fellow-creatures, 
Eph. iv. 29 : " Let no corrupt communication proceed out 
of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edify- 
ing ;" margin, to edify profitably, in opposition to the in- 
sipid and vain talk which is in the mouths of most men. 

Q,. 9. What is the particular duty required in the ninth 
commandment 1 

A. That we maintain and promote [our own and our 
neighbour's good name, especially in witness-bearing.] 

(£ 10. What is a [good name?] 

A. It is the having of reputation and esteem, especially 
among the sober and religious, Ps. xvi. 3, and ci. 13. 

Q,. 11. How may a good name be obtained? 

A. By being useful in the world, in the several stations 
and relations in which adorable providence has placed us, 
Ps. cxii. 9. 

Q,. 12. Is self-commendation a fit mean to obtain a good 
name? 

A. No : it is ordinarily the highway to procure scorn 
and contempt, 2 Cor. x. 12. 

Q,. 13. Does not the apostle commend himself, when he 
says, " In nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles ?" 
2 Cor. xii. 11. 

A. He only magnifies and exalts his office, and at the 
same time lessens and disparages himself ; for, although 
he says, In nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, 
yet he immediately subjoins, " though I be nothing ;" and 1 



126 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED &C. 



Cor. xv. 9 : " I am the least of the apostles, who am not 
meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the 
church of God." 

Q,. 14. May we not commend the grace of God in us? 

A. To be sure we may ; for, whatever is spoken to the 
commendation of free grace, is for the abasement of self, 1 
Cor. xv. 10 : " By the grace of God I am what I am." 

Q,. 15. How ought we to maintain and promote [our 
own] good name 1 

A. Not only by a blameless walk and conversation be- 
fore the world, Phil. ii. 15; but likewise by vindicating 
ourselves from the calumnies and aspersions that may be 
injuriously cast upon us, Acts xxiv. 12, 13. 

Q,. 16. With what frame of spirit ought the lawful vindi- 
cation of ourselves to be managed 1 

A. With moderation, meekness, and readiness to for- 
give those who have reproached and injured us, Col. iii. 
12, 13. 

Q. 17. Who ought, in a special manner, to maintain and 
promote their own good name 1 

A. This is especially incumbent on professors of reli- 
gion, Matt. v. 16 ; and such as are in places of public trust, 
Tit. ii. 7, 8. 

Q,. 18. W r hy should professors be careful to maintain 
their good name ! 

A. Because the loss of it tends to reflect dishonour on 
religion, by which the enemies of it take occasion to blas- 
pheme, 2 Sam. xii. 14. 

Q,. 19. W r hat is the advantage of a good name? 

A. A good name procures mutual love to, and confi- 
dence in one another; and, consequently, tends to pro- 
mote the interests both of sacred and civil society; on 
which account a good name is said to be better than pre- 
cious ointment, Eccl. vii. 1; and rather to be chosen than 
great riches, Pro v. xxii. 1. 

Q,. 20. What does this command require in reference to 
[our neighbour's good name'?] 

A. The maintaining and promoting it, as we would do 
our own, Phil. ii. 4 ; and that both in his presence and in 
his absence. 

Q,. 21. How should we behave in the presence of our 
neighbour, for maintaining and promoting of his good 
name! 

A. When we observe any thing faulty in him, which 
deserves present notice, we should reprove it with meek- 
ness and love, Lev. xix. 17; and what is really commend- 
able we should prudently encourage and applaud, Rom. 
i. 8. 

Q,. 22. How should we maintain and promote the good 
name of others in their absence ! 



SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 127 

A. By commending what is praise-worthy in them, 3 
John ver. 12; vindicating their character when unjustly 
attacked, Prov. xxv. 23 ; and by covering their infirmities 
and blemishes, so far as can be done in a consistency with 
truth, and the credit of religion, 1 Pet. iv. 8. 

Q. 23. Why is the word [especially] subjoined to wit- 
ness-bearing 1 

A. Because, as we should give testimony to truth on all 
occasions, so, in a special manner, when called by lawful 
authority to declare the matter of fact upon oath, Jer. iv. 2. 

Q,. 24. What special obligation lies^rpon us, to declare 
the true matter of fact, between man and man, when call- 
ed to do it upon oath 1 

A. In an oath, God is appealed to, that we will declare 
nothing but the truth, as we shall answer to him at the 
great day ; and therefore, our doing otherwise, either out 
of hatred, or favour, is laying ourselves open to his imme- 
diate wrath and displeasure, according to Mai. iii. 5 : " I 
will be a swift witness — against false swearers, — saith the 
Lord of hosts." 



Quest. 78. What is forbidden in the ninth command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever 
is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our 
neighbour's good name. 

Q,. 1. What does this command forbid in general] 

A. [Whatsoever is prejudicial to truth.] 

Q,. 2. What are we to understand by that which is [pre- 
judicial to truth 1] 

A. All falsehood and lying of whatever kind, James iii. 
14 : Lie not against the truth. 

Q,. 3. What is the formal nature and meaning of a lie 1 

A. It is voluntarily to speak or express what we know 
to be false, as the old prophet at Bethel did to the man of 
God, 1 Kings xiii. 18. 

Q,. 4. How is a lie aggravated ? 

A. When it is uttered with a design to deceive, and to 
harm others by it ; like the devil, when he said, " Ye shall 
not surely die. — Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and 
evil," Gen. iii. 4, 5. 

Q,. 5. May not persons utter what is untrue or false, 
and yet not be guilty of a lie 1 

A. Yes ; and that either through ignorance or misinfor- 
mation. 



128 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



Q. 6. When may they be said to utter what is false 
through ignorance, and yet not be guilty of lying] 

A. When they speak rashly, according to their present 
conception of things, without due examination ; as the 
barbarians, when they saw the venomous beast hang on 
Paul's hand, said among themselves, No doubt this man 
is a murderer, &c., Acts xxviii. 4. 

Q,. 7. When may we utter what is false through misin- 
formation, and not be guilty of a lie 1 

A. When we speak according to the report we have 
had from others, wifnout any suspicion of being imposed 
upon ; as Jacob did, when, by the imposition of his sons, 
(who had sold Joseph into Egypt, and dipped his coat in 
the blood of a kid) he said, " It is my son's coat ; an evil 
beast hath devoured him : Joseph is without doubt rent in 
pieces," Gen. xxxvii. 33. 

Q,. 8. How many sorts of lies are there ! 

A. They are commonly ranked into three sorts ; name- 
ly, ludicrous, pernicious, and officious lies. 

Q,. 9. What is a ludicrous or jocose lie 1 

A. It is when persons relate things they know to be 
false, with a design to make a jest or" diversion to others. 

Q,. 10. What is it to be guilty of a pernicious lie'? 

A. It is to contrive or spread some malicious report we 
know or suspect to be false, on purpose to bring about 
some hurt or damage to another, as Ziba did against 
Mephibosheth, 2 Sam. xvi. 3. 

Q,. 11. What is the aggravation of a pernicious lie 1 

A. It is the very worst sort of lying, being both a con- 
tempt of the omniscient God, who is witness to the false- 
hood ; and a deliberate intention to do injury to our neigh- 
bour, though in our conscience we believe him innocent 
of what we lay to his charge. 

Q. 12. What is it for a person to make an officious lie ! 

A. It is to tell a downright untruth, for their own, or 
their neighbour's safety and security in time of danger, as 
Rahab did who hid the spies in the roof of her house, and 
yet alleged they were gone out of the city, and that she 
knew not where they went, Josh. ii. 4 — 6. 

Q,. 1 3. Does not the apostle ascribe this action of hers 
to her faith, when he says, Heb. xi. 31 : " By faith Rahab, 
the harlot, perished not with them that believed not, when 
she had received the spies with peace )" 

A. No ; what he ascribes to her faith is, her having re- 
ceived the spies with peace, that is, her having consulted 
their safety and preservation with the greatest care and 
diligence ; but not the lie she invented in order to conceal 
them. Her protecting the spies is commended, but not 
the manner in which she did it. 

Q. 14. Who are they that plead in favour of officious lies 1 



IN THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 



129 



A. The Papists, Socinians, and most of our modern 
moralists. 

Q,. J 5. What arguments do they allege in defence of this 
sort of lying 1 

A. That it has been practised by saints in scripture; 
and that it is so far from being hurtful to any, that it has 
been beneficial to some in certain cases. 

Q,. 16. What answer is to be given to the practice of the 
saints in this matter 1 

A. That their sinful failures, in this and other instances, 
are not recorded in scripture for imitation, but for caution 
and warning, that we fall not into the same snares. 

Q. 17. How do you answer the other argument for offi- 
cious lying, " That it is so far from being hurtful to any, 
that it has been beneficial and advantageous to some, in 
certain cases, particularly in saving the life of a dear friend, 
or useful member of society, which might otherwise have 
been manifestly endangered ?" 

A. It is answered thus, that in no case are we to do evil 
that good may come, Rom. hi. 8. If we are not to speak 
wickedly for God, nor talk deceitfully for him, according 
to Job xiii. 7, neither are we to do so, though it were for 
the benefit of all mankind, or the best among them. 

18. How do you prove lying to be sinful, or unlawful, 
in itself] 

A. From this, that lying of all sorts, without exception, 
is condemned in scripture, as hateful and abominable to 
God, Prov. vi. 17, 19, and xii. 22, Col. iii. 9. 

Q,. 19. Who is the author and father of lies ? 

A. The devil, John viii. 44 : " When he speaketh a lie, he 
speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar, and the father of it." 

Q. 20. How does God testify his displeasure against ly- 
ing of all kinds 1 

A. By declaring, that he who speaketh lies shall perish, 
Prov. xix. 9 ; accordingly it is said, All liars shall have 
their part in the lake which burnetii with fire and brim- 
stone, Rev. xxi. 8. 

Q,. 21. What is more particularly forbidden in this com- 
mandment, according to the answer 1 

A. Whatever is [injurious to our own or our neighbour's 
good name.] 

Q,. 22. How may we injure our own good name? 

A. By a vain-glorious commendation of ourselves, Prov. 
xii. 15; by despising of others who ought justly to be es- 
teemed, chap, xxiii. 9 ; or by doing any thing scandalous 
and offensive in the eye of the world, 1 Sam. ii. 17, 30. 

Q,. 23. In what may we be injurious to our neighbour's 
good name ? 

A. By flattering him to his face, Prov. xxviii. 4 ; by de- 



130 SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

faming him behind his back, Ps. 1. 20 ; or by bearing false 
witness against him in public judicature, Ezek. xxii. 9. 

Q. 24. What is the evil of flattering our neighbour to his 
face 1 

A. It tends to foster and foment his pride, and thus to 
bring on his ruin, Pro v. xxvi. 28 : A flattering mouth work- 
eth ruin. 

Q,. 25. What is the evil of defaming him behind his back ? 

A. Nothing can be more devilish and malicious, than to 
fix calumny and reproach upon one, when he is not pre- 
sent to vindicate and defend himself : hence the same ori- 
ginal word, which is rendered slanderer, 1 Tim. iii. 11, is 
used also to signify the devil, 1 Pet. v. 8. 

Q,. 26. Who are they that may be guilty of bearing false 
witness against their neighbour in public judicature"] 

A. The prosecutor, defendant, witness, advocate, and 
judge, may each of them be guilty in this way. 

Q. 27. How may the prosecutor be guilty ? 

A. In making an unjust demand upon the defendant, 
Acts xxiv. 5 ; or laying to his charge that of which he be- 
lieves him to be innocent, chap. xxv. 7. 

Q,. 28. How is the defendant, upon the other hand, 
chargeable with guilt in this matter 1 

A. By artful and dilatory evasions, by which the plain- 
tiff is put to needless trouble and charge in the obtaining 
of justice. 

Q,. 29. How may witnesses, in public judicature, be in- 
jurious to their neighbour's good name? 

A. Not only by the heinous sin of bearing testimony to 
a downright falsehood, but likewise by denying, mincing, 
or keeping back the truth, or any part of it. 

Q. 30. When are advocates or attorneys guilty in this 
way? 

A. When they take in hand to plead and maintain a bad 
cause, looking on it as a part of their profession to be as 
warm and zealous in defending what is wrong, as what is 
just and right. 

Q,. 31. How may the judge be guilty of bearing false 
witness ] 

A. By a rash, partial, and iniquitous sentence ; thus per- 
verting justice, and injuring the innocent, like Pilate, Matt, 
xxvii. 24, 26. 

Q,. 32. What is the evil of injuring our neighbour in his 
good name ? 

A. It robs him of a most valuable treasure ; for, if once 
his good name or character is sunk, his further usefulness 
in the world is, to all appearance, irrecoverably gone. 

Q. 33. What should affright and deter us from the sins 
of the tongue, forbidden in this commandment ? 

A. That we are to answer, in the last and great day, 



DUTIES REQUIRED IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 131 

for our words, as well as our actions, Matt. xii. 36, 37 : 
" Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give 
account thereof in the day of judgment ; for, by thy words 
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be 
condemned." 



Quest. 79. Which is the tenth commandment ? 

Ans. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not 
covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy 
neighbours ivife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid' 
servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is 
thy neighbour's. 

Quest. 80. What is required in the tenth command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The tenth commandment requireth full content- 
ment with our own condition, with a right and charitable 
frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his. 

Q. t. What is the practice of the Papists with reference 
to the tenth commandment 7 

A. They have, (in some of their formularies,) erased the 
second commandment, because contrary to their image 
worship ; therefore, in order to keep up the number ten, they 
split this into two, making these words, Thou shalt not 
covet thy neighbour's house, to be the ninth; and, Thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, &c. to be the tenth. 

Q,. 2. How are they confuted 7 

A. By the words of this commandment (as they are 
here inserted from Ex. xx. 17,) being transposed into a 
different order in Deut. v. 21; where desiring our neigh- 
bour's wife is put before coveting of his house ; which is 
a plain evidence, that what the Papists make two, is but 
one undivided precept ; otherwise what, according to 
them, is the ninth in the one place, will be the tenth in the 
other. 

Q. 3. What is the general duty required in this com- 
mandment T 

A. It is an inward disposition and inclination of the 
whole soul, to perform all the duties contained in the law, 
particularly in the second table, which this commandment 
more immediately respects ; and that out of love to God, 
and a desire to please him, Ps. cxix. 5, 47. 



132 



OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 



Q,. 4. How do you prove this to be the general duty- 
required 1 

A. From the general sin forbidden ; namely, Covetous- 
ness, which includes the motion or stirring of corruption 
against all the commands of the law, because of their holi- 
ness and contrariety to depraved nature, Rom. vii. 7, 8. 

Q,. 5. What inward disposition of soul does this com- 
mandment require with reference to ourselves in par- 
ticular 1 

A. It requires, with reference to ourselves, [full content- 
ment with our own condition,] 1 Tim. vi. 6. 

Q,. 6. What do you understand by full contentment 
with our own condition ? 

A. A cheerful acquiescence in the lot which God, in his 
holy and wise providence, is pleased to carve out for us in 
this world, Heb. xiii. 5 : Be content with such things as ye 
have. 

Q. 7. Is full contentment with our own condition attain- 
able in this life 1 

A. Though the perfection of no grace is attainable in 
this life, yet a great measure, and eminent degrees of 
grace, particularly this of contentment, may be, and has 
been, attained by the saints in this world, Phil. iv. 11: "I 
have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be 
content." 

Q,. 8. Is contentment, in a prosperous condition, an easy 
attainment ? 

A. No ; without grace it cannot be attained ; because, 
naturally, our ambitious and covetous desires increase in 
proportion to our riches ; as is evident in the instance of 
Ahab, whom a kingdom could not satisfy without Na- 
both's vineyard, 1 Kings xxi. 4. 

Q.. 9. How is true contentment attained under prosper- 
ous circumstances ] 

A. By looking above all the enjoyments of time as transi- 
tory and vain, to God himself, as our chief good and eter- 
nal inheritance, Ps. lxii. 10, and xvi. 5, 6. 

Q,. 10. Is contentment likewise required under cross dis- 
pensations of providence; such as, poverty, reproach, 
bodily afflictions, and loss of near relations 1 

A. Though it be a grievous sin to be stupidly insensible 
and unconcerned under these or the like circumstances, 
Hos. vii. 9 ; yet a contentment of submission, or such as 
is without repining and murmuring, is, undoubtedly, re- 
quired under the severest troubles that can befall us in 
this life, Lam. iii. 39 : " Wherefore doth a living man com- 
plain V 

Gt- 11- What ground of contentment have we under out- 
ward poverty and want ? 



IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 



133 



A. That though we be the poor of this world, yet we 
may be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, James ii. 5. 

Q,. 12. Why should we bear reproach without murmur- 
ing? 

A. Because whatever reproach is cast upon us for 
Christ's sake, he will wipe it clean off at his second ap- 
pearing, Luke xxii. 28, 29. Matt. xxv. 34. 

Q,. 13. What reason for contentment have we under 
bodily afflictions ? 

A. That they are only of short duration, 2 Cor. iv. 17; 
mixed with mercy, Lam. iii. 32 ; consistent with love, John 
xi. 3 ; and designed for our profit, that we might be par- 
takers of his holiness, Heb. xii. 10. 

Q,. 14. What should content and comfort us under the 
loss of near and dear relations ? 

A. That the Lord Jesus, who stands in every amiable 
relation to us, is always at hand, being the same yester- 
day, to-day, and for ever, Heb. xiii. 8. 

Q,. 15. Are we required to be content under divine de- 
sertion, or the want of the sense of the love of God ? 

A. Though we have no reason to quarrel with God, for 
withdrawing the light of his countenance, which we never 
deserved ; yet it is impossible for any gracious soul to be 
easy and content under the hidings of his face, but it must 
needs earnestly long for, and ardently breathe after the 
returns of his love ; as is evident from the example and 
practice of the saints, in the following texts, Job xxiii. 3, 
and xxix. 2, 3, Ps. xiii. 1, xlii. 1, 2, and lxxxiv. 2. 

Q,. 16. What inward frame or disposition of soul does 
the tenth commandment require with reference to our 
neighbour? 

A. It requires [a right and charitable frame of spirit to- 
ward him, and all that is his,] Rom. xii. 16. 

Q,. 17. When may we be said to have this [right and 
charitable frame of spirit] here required ? 

A. When our inward motions and affections are influ- 
enced by grace, to sway and determine us to promote and 
rejoice in the welfare of our neighbour, both as to his spi- 
ritual and temporal concerns, 1 Cor. xiii. 4 — 8. 

Q,. 18. When may it be evident to ourselves, that we 
have a right and charitable frame of spirit towards those 
who excel us in gifts and graces? 

A. When, under an humbling sense of our own defects, 
we are thankful for the honour that is brought to God, by 
the shining of his gifts or graces in others, Gal. i. 23, 24. 

Q,. 19. What should induce us to a right and charitable 
frame of spirit towards those that are in more prosperous 
circumstances than ourselves ; or whose condition in the 
world is better than our own ? 

A. The considering that a flourishing condition in the 

Part II.— 12 



134 



OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN 



world is not always the best, Ps. xxxviii. 16; that if we 
enjoy communion with God, it is infinitely preferable to 
all outward prosperity, without it, Ps. xvi. 5, 6. 

Q,. 20. How may such a right and charitable frame of 
spirit be attained ? 

A. Only by the implantation of faith, as the root of this 
and all other motions of the soul that are acceptable to 
God, Heb. xi. 6. Rom. xiv. 23. 



Quest. 81. What is forbidden in the tenth command- 
ment ? 

Ans. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discon- 
tentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the 
good of our neighbour, and all inordinate motions and 
affections to any thing that is his. 

Q,. 1. What is the leading sin forbidden in this com- 
mandment ? 
A. It is Covetousness : Thou shalt not covet. 
Q,. 2. What is covetousness 1 

A. It is an excessive and irregular desire after those 
worldly goods which we have not, Pro v. i. 19, and which 
God, in his providence, does not see meet that we should 
have, Ps. lxxv. 6, 7. 

Q,. 3. How does the excess of an avaricious mind dis- 
cover itself? 

A. By such an insatiable thirst after worldly gain, as 
can never be satisfied, Prov. xxx. 15. 

Q,. 4. In what consists the irregularity of covetousness 1 

A. In the desire of worldly goods which are in the pos- 
session of our neighbour, and even sometimes as they are 
his, 1 Kings xxi. 2. 

Q,. 5, How does the covetousness of the heart discover 
itself] 

A. By [discontentment with our own estate,] and [envy- 
ing or grieving at the good of our neighbour.] 
Q. 6. What is [discontentment with our own estate?] 
A. It is to murmur and fret at our present condition in 
the world, as being worse than we think should fall to our 
share, or than we are expecting and looking for, 2 Kings 
vi. 33. 

Q,. 7. What is the aggravation of this sin 

A. It argues an unwillingness to be at God's disposal, 
Ps. xii. 4 ; an esteeming ourselves more competent judges 
than he, of what is best for us, 1 Kings i. 5 ; and it is, in 



IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 



135 



effect, usurping the throne of God, and taking his govern- 
ment into our own hands, Ex. v. 2. 

Q,. 8. What are the proper remedies against it? 

A. The only sovereign remedy, is to give Christ the 
pre-eminence in our hearts, Ps. lxxiii. 25 ; for then we will 
undervalue all temporal things, in comparison of him, Ps. 
lxxvi. 4. 

Q,. 9. What is [envying or grieving at the good of our 
neighbour!] 

A. It is to repine and grudge at his prosperous circum- 
stances, Neh. ii. 10, or any superior endowment or privi- 
lege he is possessed of above ourselves, Ps. cxii. 9, 10. 

Q,. 10. What is the evil of this sin'? 

A. It wastes and consumes the body, Prov. xiv. 39; 
Envy is the rottenness of the bones ; and it is fertile of 
confusion, and every evil work, James hi. 16. 

Q,. 11. What is the source or spring of covetousness 1 

A. The [inordinate motions and affections] that are in 
our souls. 

Q,. J 2. What do you understand by the [inordinate mo- 
tions and affections] here forbidden ! 

A. Not only the unlawful purposes, intentions, and de- 
sires, that are actually formed in the heart, but even the 
first risings and stirrings of corruption in the soul, which 
are antecedent to the consent of the will, Gen. vi. 5. 

Q,. 13. Are not the vicious lusts and desires that are 
formed and assented to in the heart, forbidden in other 
commandments of the second table, as well as in this] 

A. Yes; as appears from our Saviour's exposition of 
the seventh commandment, Matt. v. 28 : " But I say unto 
you, Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, 
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." 

Q,. 14. How then is this commandment distinguished 
from others, which forbid heart sins equally with it] 

A. This commandment is levelled particularly at the 
root of all sin, namely, habitual lust, or corruption of na- 
ture, together with its very first motions, and especially 
as these are contrary to the love of our neighbour ; where- 
as, other commandments chiefly respect such secret and 
heart sins as are actually committed, though not known 
to the world. 

Q,. 15. How does it appear that this commandment is 
levelled particularly at habitual lust, or at the root of all 
sin] 

A. Because, since other commandments chiefly forbid 
heart sins actually formed, this commandment must forbid 
the very rise of them, or the least bias and inclination to 
evil ; otherwise it would not be distinct from the rest, nor 
would the law be absolutely perfect. 

Q. 16. Does not the apostle James distinguish between 



136 SINS FORBIDDEN IN THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 

lust and sin, chap. i. 15 : When lust hath conceived it bring- 
eth forth sin ; and will it not from thence follow, that lust, 
or corruption of nature, is not properly sin, and conse- 
quently not forbidden in this commandment ? 

A. The apostle distinguishes between lust and sin 
merely as a corrupt principle and the act which it pro- 
duces ; both which are hateful to God, and contrary to his 
law. 

Q,. 17. If lust, or corruption of nature, cannot be reme- 
died, or extirpated by any prescription in the divine law, 
why is it at all prohibited 1 

A. It is nevertheless prohibited, both because contrary 
to the nature of God, and as a mean to reprove and humble 
us for it, Rom. vii. 9. 

Q,. 18. What is the difference between human and divine 
laws on this head 3 

A. Human laws respect only overt or open acts of sin, 
but divine laws respect likewise the internal inclination 
and disposition which persons have to commit it, Ps. 
lxvi. 18. 

Q,. 19. What is the opinion of the Papists concerning the 
prohibition of habitual lust ? 

A. They pretend that the law of God respects only the 
corruption of our actions, but not the habit or principle 
from whence they proceed. 

Q,. 20. How are they refuted 1 

A. From the spirituality of the law r which extends to 
the motions of the heart, as well as the actions of the life, 
Rom. vii. 14, 23. 

Q,. 21. If the first motions of corruption are not enter- 
tained, but immediately curbed and restrained, why are 
they prohibited as sinful ] 

A. Because, however soon they are curbed or restrain- 
ed, yet having once been in the soul, they cannot but 
leave a stain and pollution behind them, contrary to the 
holiness and purity required in the law, James i. 14. 

Q,. 22. Who are they that are sensible of these inordi- 
nate motions and affections of the heart, and are humbled 
for the same 1 

A. None properly but the regenerate; as is evident 
from the instance of the apostle, who says of himself, after 
his conversion, " I had not known lust, except the law had 
said, Thou shalt not covet," Rom. vii. 7. 

Q,. 23. What is the apostle's meaning in these words'? 

A. It is, as if he had said, I had not'known this strong 
propensity that is in my heart to all manner of sin, even 
before it be consented to, or deliberately committed ; un- 
less the Spirit of God had discovered it to me, in this pre- 
cept of the law forbidding the same. 

Q,. 24. How does this propensity to sin evidence itself] 



of man's inability to keep the law. 137 

A. In that no sooner is the object presented, than in- 
stantly there is an inordinate motion and affection of the 
neart after it. The combustible matter within catches fire 
at the very first spark of temptation, Josh, vii, 21. 

Q,. 25. What may we learn from the general scope of 
this, and all the other commandments 1 

A. That though we could forbear the evil, and do the 
good contained in every commandment, it would not be 
sufficient, except we did it for the Lord's sake, out of love 
to him, and regard to his authority, Ezek. xx. 19. 



Quest. 82. Is any man able perfectly to keep the com- 
mandments of God ? 

Ans. No mere man, since the fall, is able, in this life, 
perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth 
daily break them, in thought, word, and deed. 

Q,. 1. What is it [perfectly to keep the commandments 
of God?] 

A. It is, from a nature perfectly holy, to yield constant 
and uninterrupted obedience to them, both in heart and 
life, Matt. xxii. 37, 39. 

Q,. 2. Was ever any man, in this world, able to keep the 
commandments of God in this manner 1 

A. Yes ; Adam, before his fall, was able to give perfect 
obedience to them all, Eccl. vii. 29 : God made man up- 
right. 

Q,. 3. Whether was Adam's ability to keep the com- 
mandments of God, concreated with him, or, was it a su- 
peradded gift 1 

A. It was concreated with him, as being made after the 
image of God, Gen. i. 27. 

Q,. 4. Has none, since the fall, been able to keep them 
perfectly ? 

A. [No -mere man] has ever been able to do it, since 
that time, Rom. iii. 9, 10. 

Q,. 5. What do you understand by a [mere man?] 

A. One who is no more than a man; and all Adam's 
family, descending from him by ordinary generation, are 
only mere men, Acts xvii. 26. 

<3t. 6. Why is the limitation of no mere man inserted in 
the answer 1 

A. That Christ might be excepted, who is infinitely 
more than a man, being Immanuel, God with us, Matt. i. 23. 
Q,. 7. Why should he be excepted ] 
12* 



138 



of man's inability 



A. Because he not only yielded perfect obedience to the 
law in our nature, but an obedience meritorious of life, for 
all his spiritual seed, Matt. iii. 15. Rom. v. 17, 19. 

Q,. 8. Do not the saints, in this life, keep the command- 
ments of God perfectly 1 

A. No; for there is not a just man upon earth, that 
doeth good, and sinneth not, Eccl. vii. 20. 

Q,. 9. Will they ever be capable of doing it 1 

A. Yes ; when they come to heaven, where they are 
made perfect, Heb. xii. 23 ; and where the former things 
are passed away, Rev. xxi. 4. 

Q,. 10. Why are they not able perfectly to keep them [in 
this life ?] 

A. Because of the remains of corruption cleaving to 
every one of them, while in this world, Rom. vii. 23; and 
from which they long to be delivered, verse 24. 

Q,. 11. But may not grace received, in this life, enable 
them to keep the commandments of God perfectly 1 

A. There is no promise of any such grace, nor would it 
be consistent with the gradual nature of spiritual growth, 
as the saints do not arrive at their full stature till they 
come to glory, 1 Thess. iii. 13. 

Q. 12. How does it appear from scripture, that the saints 
cannot attain perfection in this life] 

A. The scripture expressly affirms, that in many things 
they offend all, James iii. 2 : and it records the failings and 
infirmities of the most eminent of them that ever lived ; 
such as Abraham, Gen. xx. 2 ; Moses, Ps. cvi. 33 ; David, 
2 Sam. xi. 4, 15; Peter, Matt. xxvi. 72, 74; and many 
others. 

Q,. 13. Do not the saints themselves ingenuously ac- 
knowledge, that they cannot attain perfection while here 7 

A. Yes ; Job ix. 20 : " If I say, I am perfect, it shall also 
prove me perverse." Paul, likewise, Phil. iii. 12: " Not as 
though I had already attained, or were already perfect." 

Q,. 14. But is it not said that Noah, Gen. vi. 9, Hezekiah, 
Isa. xxxviii. 3, and Job, chap. i. 8, were each of them 
perfect 1 

A. The perfection ascribed to them, is only compara- 
tive; that is, they were more holy and circumspect than 
many others ; but it cannot be understood of absolute per- 
fection, as their sins and blemishes stand also upon re- 
cord: Noah, for drunkenness, Gen. ix. 21; Hezekiah, for 
ingratitude, 2 Chron. xxxii. 25 ; and Job, for some degree 
of impatience under the rod, chap. iii. 

Q,. 15. If the saints cannot attain perfection in this life, 
why is it said, that they do not commit sin ] 1 John iii. 9 : 
" WHiosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin." 

A. The meaning is, they do not take pleasure and de- 



TO KEEP THE LAW PERFECTLY. 



139 



light in sin, nor make a trade of it, as unregenerate per- 
sons do, who are therefore called the workers of iniquity, 
Ps. cxxv. 5. 

Q,. 16. Is not the perfection of sincerity attainable by 
the saints 1 

A. They may attain to a very high and eminent degree 
of sincerity in this world, Ps. xviii. 23, 2 Cor. i. 12 ; but 
the absolute perfection of this, or any other grace, is not 
to be expected by them, till they come to heaven, 1 Cor. 
xiii. 12. 

Q,. 17. Will they not be accepted upon such sincerity as 
they can attain to, though short of the perfection required 
in the law 1 

A. Their acceptance before God is not founded on their 
sincerity, or any other branch of their sanctification ; but 
solely in their justification, by which the righteousness of 
the law is fulfilled in them, in virtue of the surety right- 
eousness imputed to them, Rom. viii. 4; and thus they 
are accepted in the Beloved, Eph. i. 6. 

Q,. 18. Since none of mankind are able, in this life, per- 
fectly to keep the commandments of God, how often does 
the answer say that they break them 1 ? 

A. It says that they break them [daily] or continually, 
Gen. vi. 5. 

Q,. 19. In what do they daily break them 1 ? 

A. They do it [in thought, word, and deed.] 

Q,. 20. Is there any other possible way of breaking the 
commandments of God 1 

A. No ; there is no other way of breaking any of them, 
(as to actual transgression,) than either in our thoughts, 
words, or deeds; and our doing so, in all these respects, 
shows the justice of that charge which the Lord has against 
every one of us, Jer. iii. 5 : " Behold, thou hast spoken and 
done evil things as thou couldst." 

Q,. 21. How do we break the commandments of God in 
our thoughts ? 

A. When our thoughts are sinfully employed either with 
reference to God, ourselves, or our neighbours. 

Q,. 22. When are our thoughts sinfully employed about 
God? 

A. When they are entertaining unworthy and unbe- 
coming notions and conceptions of him, Ps. 1. 21, and xciv. 
7, such as reflect dishonour upon his perfections and pro- 
vidence, Zeph. i. 12; or such as are inconsistent with the 
discovery he has made of himself, as being " in Christ 
reconciling the world to himself," 2 Cor. v. 19. 

Q,. 23. When are our thoughts sinfully exercised about 
ourselves 1 

A. When they are gratifying our pride, Obadiah ver. 3, 
ambition, Isa. xiv. 13, 14, and self-applause, Rom. xii. 3. 



140 



OF SIN IN ITS AGGRAVATIONS. 



Q,. 24. When are they sinfully employed about our 

neighbours 1 

A. When they are meditating and indulging envy, Gen. 
iv. 15 ; reproach, Jer. xx. 10 ; or revenge against them, Gen. 
xxvii. 41. 

Q,. 25. What is the aggravating evil and malignity of 
sinful thoughts 1 

A. The evil and malignity of them consists in this, that 
they are the immediate source and spring from whence 
all our sinful words and deeds flow; "for out of the abun- 
dance of the heart the mouth speaketh," Matt. xii. 34. 

Q,. 26. What is the proper remedy and antidote against 
sinful thoughts 1 

A. The Spirit's taking the things of Christ, and show- 
ing them unto us, John xvi. 14, by which they will become 
the subject matter of our meditation and highest esteem : 
for where the treasure is, there will be the heart also, 
Matt. vi. 21. 

Q,. 27. How do men break the commandments of God 
by their icords ? 

A. When, besides idle and unprofitable words, Matt. xii. 
36, they utter such as are more directly dishonouring to 
God, Ps. xxiii. 9, 11, and hurtful and prejudicial to them- 
selves and others, Ps. cxl. 3. 

Q,. 28. How do they break them by their deeds ? 

A. When those sins are committed, which have been 
conceived in the thought, and uttered by the tongue ; being 
inconceivably more than can be condescended upon, " for, 
innumerable evils have compassed us about," Ps. xl. 12. 

Q,. 29. What may we learn from man's inability to keep 
the commandments perfectly in this life 1 

A. That we must be wholly indebted to the free grace 
of God, for salvation and eternal life, Tit. iii. 5, and not to 
any thing in ourselves, who are, at best, but unprofitable 
servants, Luke xvii. 10. 



Quest. 83. Are all transgressions of the law equally 

heinous ? 

Axs. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of seve- 
ral aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God 
than others. 

Q. 1. What do you understand by some sins being [more 
heinous] than others 1 

A. That they are more abominable, hateful, and offen- 
sive to God than others are, Ezek. viii. 6, 13, 15. 



OF SIN IN ITS AGGRAVATIONS. 



141 



Q,. 2. Are not all sins hateful, and offensive to God? 

A. Yes: but not equally so, Matt, vii 3: " Why behold- 
est thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but consider- 
est not the beam that is in thine own eye V 1 

Q,. 3. How does it appear that all sins are not equally 
offensive to God ? 

A. From the different degrees of punishment that shall 
be inflicted in the other world, Matt. xi. 22: "But I say 
unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in 
the day of judgment than for you." See also Luke xii. 47, 48. 

Q. 4. In whose sight are some sins more heinous than 
others ! 

A. [In the sight of God,] who is the best judge of the 
heinousness of sins, Job xxxvi. 9. 

Q,. 5. In what respects are some sins more heinous in the 
sight of God than others 1 

A. Some are more heinous [in themselves,] and some 
are so [by reason of several aggravations.] 

Q,. 6. What is it for sins to be heinous [in themselves f] 

A. It is to be heinous in their own nature, though no 
other aggravating circumstances should attend them. 

Q,. 7. How are these sins, that are in their own nature 
more heinous than others, commonly ranked ! 

A. Sins committed more immediately against God, or 
the first table of his law, are more heinous in their own 
nature, than sins committed more immediately against 
man, or any precept of the second table. Likewise, some 
sins against the second table, are more heinous in them- 
selves, than other sins against the said table. 

Q,. 8. What examples are usually given of both these ? 

A. Blasphemy against God, is more heinous in its own 
nature, than defaming, or speaking evil of our neighbour, 
1 Sam. ii. 25 ; and adultery is more heinous than theft, Prov. 
vi. 33, to the end of the chapter. , - 

Q,. 9. " What are those [aggravations] that make some 
sins more heinous than others'?" 

A. Sins "receive their aggravation, 1. From the persons 
offending. 2. From the parties offended. 3. From the 
nature and quality of the offence. 4. From the circum- 
stances of time and place." * 

Q. 10. How may the persons offending be viewed? 

A. They may be viewed, either as to their age, gifts, 
or office. 

Q,. 1 1. What aggravation arises from the age of the per- 
sons offending'? 

A. If persons are advanced in years, by which they may 
be supposed to have more experience, their sins are more 
highly aggravated than if committed by children, or such 
as are raw and inexperienced, Job xxxii. 7. 

* Larger Catechism, Q. 151. 



142 



OF SIN IN ITS AGGRAVATIONS. 



Q,. 12. How are sins aggravated from the gifts of the 
persons offending ] 

A. If the offenders have been eminent for their profes- 
sion, 2 Sam. xii. 14, or have had a larger measure of gifts, 
1 Kings xi. 9, or grace, James iv. 17, conferred upon them, 
their sins will be proportionably aggravated beyond others, 
who have not been so privileged. 

Q,. 13. How are sins aggravated from the office, or 
station, in which persons offending maybe placed] 

A. If the persons who give the offence be in an eminent 
station in the world, or vested with any office in the church, 
Jer. xxiii. 11, 14, or in the state, 1 Kings xiv. 16; their sins 
cannot but be of a deeper tincture and dye, because their ex- 
ample is more likely to be followed by others, Jer. xxiii. 14. 

Q,. 14. How do sins receive their aggravation from the 
parties offended ? 

A. If committed "immediately against God, his attri- 
butes and worship ; against Christ and his grace ; against 
the Holy Spirit, his witness and working; against superi- 
ors, and such as we stand especially related and engaged 
unto ; against any of the saints, particularly weak breth- 
ren ; — and the common good of all, or many." * 

Q,. 15. On what account is sin aggravated as being com- 
mitted immediately against God, his attributes and wor- 
ship 7 

A. In as much as it is doing evil in his sight, Ps. li. 4 ; 
is despising the riches of his goodness, Rom. ii. 4; and 
undervaluing his ordinances, Mai. i. 8, and the glory he 
has stamped upon them, verse 14. 

d. 16. In what consists the heinousness of sin, as being 
against Christ and his grace I 

A. In its being a slighting and contemning the only 
remedy which infinite wisdom has provided for our mala- 
dy, Acts iv. 12; and surely there can be no escape, if we 
neglect so great salvation, Heb. ii. 3. 

Q,. 17. How is sin aggravated by its being committed 
against the Holy Spirit, his witness and working] 

A. In as much as it is a rejection of his testimony with- 
out us, in the word, John xv. 26, and a quenching his mo- 
tions and operations within us, 1 Thess. v. 19. 

Q,. 18. What aggravation does sin receive, as being com- 
mitted against superiors, and such as we stand especially 
related and engaged to ! 

A. In so far as sin is committed against any of these, it 
is a violation of the most sacred bonds, both of nature, 
Prov. xxx. 17, and gratitude, Ps. Iv. 12, 13. 

Q,. 19. How is it aggravated, as being committed against 
the saints, particularly weak brethren ] 

* Larger Catechism, Question 151, $ 2. 



OF SIN IN ITS AGGRAVATIONS. 



143 



A. As being committed against the saints, it is a con- 
tempt of the image of God in them, Luke x. 16; and as 
against weak brethren, it is laying a stumbling-block be- 
fore them, by which they may be insnared and fall, 1 Cor. 
viii. 12. 

Q,. 20. Who are they that sin against the common good 
of all men, or many of them ! 

A. They are such as do what in them lies to hinder the 
propagation of the gospel where it is not, and to mar the 
success of it where it is, 1 Thess. ii. 15, 16; there being 
nothing that tends more to the common good of all men, 
than the word of this salvation being sent among them, 
Acts xiii. 26. 

Q,. 21. What is the aggravation of this sin? 

A. It makes those who are guilty of it bear the nearest 
resemblance they can to the devil, who aims at nothing 
more than the ruin and destruction of mankind, 1 Pet. v. 8. 

Q,. 22. How are sins aggravated from the nature and 
quality of the offence? 

A. They are much aggravated, if the offence be against 
the express letter of the law ; break many commandments ; 
— if it break forth in words and actions ; — admit of no 
reparation; if against conviction of conscience — if done 
deliberately — obstinately, and with delight.* 

Q,. 23. Why is the offence said to be aggravated from 
being committed against the express letter of the law ? 

A. Because in this case there can remain no manner of 
doubt about the sinfulness of the action; and therefore it 
must be sinning with the greatest boldness and presump- 
tion, Rom. i. 32. 

Q. 24. What aggravation is there in breaking many com- 
mandments at once ? 

A. The sin thus becomes a complicated offence, con- 
taining many crimes in the bosom of it ; like David's sin 
in the matter of Uriah, 2 Sam. xii. 9. 

Q,. 25. How is sin aggravated by breaking forth in words 
and actions 1 

A. Sinful words and actions reflect a more public dis- 
honour on God, Matt. v. 22, and do greater injury to men, 
Mic. ii. 1, than if they were latent only in the thought. 

Q,. 26. What aggravation is there in those sins which 
admit of no reparation? 

A. Their admitting of no reparation, cannot fail to ag- 
gravate them in the very nature of things ; thus murder 
or adultery cannot but be more heinous than theft, because 
there may be restitution of one kind or other for theft, Lev. 
vi. 4, 5 ; but nothing can compensate the taking away of 

* See more particulars on this head, Larger Catechism, Q. 151, $ 3 



144 



OF THE DESERT OF SIN. 



the life of another, Num. xxxv. 31, or the violation of the 
marriage-bed and covenant, Pro v. vi. 35. 

Q,. 27. What is the aggravation of sinning against con- 
victions of conscience ] 

A. This kind of sinning offers violence to ourselves, 
contrary to the checks of that judge and reprover which 
every one has in his own breast, Rom. i. 32. 

Q,. 28. What is the evil of sinning deliberately, obsti- 
nately, and with delight 1 

A. It argues the giving a kind of defiance to the Almigh- 
ty, Ex. v. 2; a rooted hatred of him, Rom. viii. 7; and is 
a strong evidence of judicial blindness and hardness of 
heart, Zech. vii. 11, 12. 

Q,. 29. What aggravation do sins receive from the cir- 
cumstance of time ? 

A. They are more heinous if committed on the Lord's 
day, Jer. xvii. 27, or on days occasionally set apart for 
fasting or thanksgiving, Isa. xxii. 12, 13, than at other times. 

Q, 30. How are sins aggravated from the circumstance 
of the place in which they are committed ? 

A. An offence is more heinous, if it be done in a land of 
gospel light, Isa. xxvi. 10; or if committed in public, or in 
the presence of others, who are thereby likely to be pro- 
voked or denied, 2 Sam. xvi. 22. * 

Q. 31. What improvement should we make of this doc- 
trine of sin in its aggravations 1 

A. To be more humbled and abased before the Lord, 
under a sense of our sins thus aggravated, Ezra ix. 6 ; 
and likewise so much the more to admire the riches of 
pardoning mercy, as extended to the very chief of sinners, 
1 Tim. i. 13, 15. 



Quest. 84. What doth every sin deserve ? 
Ans. Every sin deserves God's wrath and curse, both 
in this life, and that which is to come. 

Q,. 1. W T hat do you understand by the desert or demerit 
of sinT 

A. It is that in the nature of sin, which of itself deserves 
all that wrath and curse, which God, in his infinite justice, 
has entailed upon it, Gal. hi. 10. 

Q,. 2. What is it in the nature of sin, which, of itself, 
deserves this wrath and curse 7 

A. It is the opposition, and contrariety of it to the holi- 
ness of God expressed in his law, Hab. i. 13; which is the 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 151, $ 4. 



OF THE DESERT OF SIN. 



145 



very thing tnat constitutes the enormity, or heinousness of 
it, Jer. xliv. 4. 
Q,. 3. Can wrath be ascribed to God as it is a passion T 
A. No ; for all passions, properly speaking, are inconsis- 
tent with God's absolute unehangeableness, Mai. iii. 6, and 
independence, Acts xiv. 15. 
Q,. 4. What then is to be understood by [God's wrath ?] 
A. That most pure and undisturbed act of his will, which 
produces most dreadful effects against the sinner, Isa. 
xxxiii. 14. 

Q,. 5. What are these dreadful effects, which the wrath 
of God produces against the sinner] 

A. All the miseries of this life, death itself, and the pains 
of hell for ever. * 

6. Is the desert of sin separable from the nature of it 1 

A. No ; as sin is the very opposite of God's holy nature 
and righteous law, it cannot but deserve his wrath and 
curse, Rom. vi. 23. 

Q,. 7. If every sin deserves God's wrath and curse, must 
not the sins of believers deserve the same likewise ] 

A. Whatever be the desert of their sin, their persons 
can never be exposed, or liable to God's vindictive wrath, 
either in this life, or that which is to come, Zeph. iii. 17. 
Hos. xiii. 14. 

Q,. 8. W 7 hy cannot the persons of believers be liable to 
the wrath and curse of God 1 

A. Because of their union with Christ, Rom. viii. 1, who 
has fulfilled all righteousness for them, ver. 33, 34 ; or an- 
swered all the demands of law and justice in their room, 
chap. iv. 25. 

Q. 9. What do the Papists mean by venial sins 1 

A. Such sins as are in their own nature so small and 
trivial, that they do not deserve eternal punishment. 

QL 10. Are there any sins in this sense venial] 

A. By no means; for the least sin, being committed 
against a God of infinite perfection, must, on that account, 
be objectively infinite, and consequently deserve an infinite 
punishment, 2 Thess. i. 9. 

Q. 1 1 . May not smaller offences be atoned for, by human 
satisfaction or penances 1 

A. " Even the least sin — cannot be expiated, but by the 
blood of Christ," Heb. xi. 22. 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. f 

Q,. 12. What may we learn from the desert of sin? 

A. The amazing love of God, in transferring the guilt 
and punishment of sin, to the glorious Surety, making 
1 him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be 
made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21. 

* All which see explained, Part I, On the misery of man's natural state, 
t Larger Catechism, Quest. 152. See the necessity of satisfaction proved, 
Part I. On Christ's priestly office. 
Part II.— 13 



146 



OF THE MEANS OF 



Quest. 85. What doth God require oj its that we may 
escape his wrath and curse, due to its for sin ? 

Ans. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us 
for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repent- 
ance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward 
means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of 
redemption. 

Q,. 1. What weighty argument or motive (among many 
others,) does the scripture afford, for essaying the practice 
of what [God requires of us?] 

A. That though we are enjoined, to work out our own 
salvation with fear and trembling ; yet, w T e are at the same 
time assured, that it is God which worketh in us, both to 
will and to do, of his good pleasure, Phil. ii. 12, 13. 

Q,. 2. Does God require any thing of us in point of duty, 
without promising suitable furniture, for the performance 
of it! 

A. No ; for he has said, " I will — cause you to walk in 
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them," 
Ezek. xxxvi. 27. 

Q,. 3. Can we [escape the wrath and curse of God, due 
to us for sin,] by any thing we can do of ourselves 1 

A. No, surely ; for 44 all our righteousnesses are as filthy 
rags," Isa. lxiv. 6 ; and, 44 by the works of the law, shall 
no flesh be justified," Gal. ii. 16. 

Q,. 4. Why then does the answer say, that to escape the 
wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, [God requires 
of us, faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, and a dil- 
igent use of all the outward means ?] 

A. Because, though these duties, as performed by us, 
can neither give a title to, nor possession of eternal life ; 
yet God appoints and requires them, both as they are 
means of conve)dng and improving the salvation purchased, 
1 Cor. i. 21, and likewise, as they are evidences of our in- 
terest in it, when conveyed, John vi 47. 

Q,. 5. Why does God require [faith in Jesus Christ] as 
the sovereign means of escaping his wrath and curse ? 

A. Because there is salvation in no other ; there being 
44 none other name under heaven, given among men, where- 
by we must be saved," Acts iv. 12. 

Q,. 6, What encouragement have we to essay believing 
in Jesus Christ ? 

A. There cannot be a greater encouragement than this, 
that faith is the gift of God, Eph. ii. 8 ; and accordingly 
the promise runs, 44 1 will say, It is my people, and they 
shall say, The Lord is my God," Zech. xiii, 9, 



SALVATION IN GENERAL. 



147 



Q,. 7. Why is [repentance unto life] required 1 

A. Because it is the inseparable fruit and effect of faith 
or believing, Zech. xii. 10: "They shall look upon me 
whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him." 

Q,. 8. What encouragement have sinners of mankind, 
privileged with gospel light, to look for, or expect this bles- 
sing of repentance unto life, which God requires of them T 

A. They are warranted to expect it on this ground, that 
as Christ has received gifts for men, Ps. lxviii. 18, so "him 
hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a 
Saviour, to give repentance to Israel," Acts v. 31. 

Q,. 9. Why does God require of us [the diligent use of all 
the outward means whereby Cnrist communicates to us 
the benefits of redemption ]] 

A. Because a neglect or contempt of the means of divine 
appointment, for communicating the benefits of redemp- 
tion, is, in the sight of God, the same thing as a neglect or 
contempt of these inestimable benefits themselves, Luke 
x. 16 : " He that despiseth you, despiseth me ; and he that 
despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me." 

Q,. 10. Can our believing, repenting, and diligent use of 
means, as they are acts of ours, be the procuring cause of 
our escaping wrath, or found our title to life and salvation 1 

A. No ; for, " by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh 
be justified in his sight," Rom. iii. 20. Our security from 
wrath and title to heaven, are founded on the imputation 
of the surety righteousness alone, Isa. xlv. 25. 

Q,. 11. What would be the consequence of making our 
faith, repentance, and good works, the procuring cause of 
our escaping the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin i 

A. This would be setting aside the satisfaction of Christ, 
and making a saviour of our duties, than which nothing 
could nail us more effectually down under the curse, Gal. 
iii. 10: "As many as are of the works of the law, are un- 
der the curse." 

Q,. 12. Have unbelieving and impenitent sinners any 
warrant to conclude, that they have escaped the wrath 
and curse of God, due to them for sin ? 

A. No, surely; for "he that believeth not, is condemned 
already," John iii. 18 ; and our Lord says, " Except ye re- 
pent, ye shall all likewise perish," Luke xiii. 3. 

Q,. 13. Is our escaping the wrath and curse of God sus- 
pended on the condition of our faith, repentance, and dil- 
igent use of the outward means i 

A. No; for, if any promised blessing were suspended 
upon the condition of our personal obedience, it would be 
the very form of the covenant of works, Rom. x. 5 : " Moses 
describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the 
man which doth these things, shall live by them." 

Q,. 14. When do carnal and unregenerate men turn the 



148 OF THE MEANS OF -SALVATION IN GENERAL. 

dispensation of the covenant of grace into the form of the 
covenant of works ? 

A. When they separate the duties of faith, repentance, 
and the diligent use of the means, from the promises of the 
covenant, and hope to make themselves accepted with God 
by their personal performance of these duties, Rom. x. 3. 

Q,. 15. What connexion have faith, repentance, and the 
use of outward means, with salvation? 

A. They have the connexion of appointed means pre- 
scribed by God himself, which, by his blessing, are sub- 
servient for such a valuable end ; being themselves a part 
of salvation, and evidences of it, 2 Thess. ii. 13. 

Q,. 16. How are the means of salvation usually distin- 
guished I 

A. Into internal and external. 

Q,. 17. What are the internal means'? 

A. Faith and repentance, with the other graces that ac- 
company or flow from them. 

Q,. 1 8. Why called internal, or inward 1 

A. Because they are wrought in the hearts of the elect, 
by the Spirit of God, as the fruits and effects of Christ's 
purchase and mediation, Zech. xii. 10. 

Q,. 19. What are the external or outward means'? 

A. They are the ordinances of divine institution, and 
appointment ; such as, the word, sacraments, and prayer. 

Q. 20. How is faith in Jesus Christ connected with sal- 
vation 1 

A. As it is the hand that receives Christ and his right- 
eousness, as the all of our salvation, Ps. lxviii. 31. John. i"l2. 

Q,. 21. How is repentance unto life connected with salva- 
tion ] 

A. As it consists in that godly sorrow for sin, flowing 
from faith, which is both the exercise and ornament (in 
some measure) of all the travellers Zion-ward, while in this 
world, Jer. 1. 4. 2 Cor. vii. 11. 

Q,. 22. How is the diligent use of outward means con- 
nected with salvation 7 

A. As it is by them that [Christ communicates to us the 
benefits of redemption,] Prov. ii. 1 — 16. 

Q,. 23. Could he not communicate the benefits of redemp- 
tion, without the outward means ? 

A. Whatever he could do, yet his ordinary method is to 
honour his own ordinances, as the means of communica- 
ting these benefits to us, which we are not to expect but 
in the use of them, Prov. viii. 34. Rom. x. 17. 

Q,. 24. What use does God require us to make of the 
outward means? 

A. He requires us to make [a diligent use] of them. 

Q,. 25. What is a diligent use of the outward means ? 

A. It is an embracing every opportunity offered in provi- 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



149 



dence, for attending upon God in them, looking earnestly 
for his blessing upon them, by which alone they become 
efficacious for our spiritual benefit, 1 Cor. iii, 6, 7. 



Quest. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ ? 

Ans. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby 
we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is 
offered to us in the gospel. 

Q. 1. What are the several kinds of faith mentioned in 
scripture ? 

A. They are these four : historical, temporary, the faith 
of miracles, and saving faith. 
Q, 2. What is historical faith 1 

A. It is a bare assent to the truth of what is revealed 
in the word, without any real affection or regard to the 
things revealed in it. Such a faith as this may be found 
m devils, James ii. 19 ; and in wicked men, Acts viii. 13. 

Q,. 3. Why called historical 1 

A. Not merely because it believes only the histories of 
the Bible ; but because it assents to the truths revealed in 
it, as being little or no way concerned in them, or without 
any particular application of them to the soul, Acts 
xxviii. 26. 

Q,. 4. What is temporary faith ? 

A. It is such as, together with an assent to the truth of 
divine revelation, is also accompanied with some slight 
and transient motion upon the affections ; which may en- 
dure for awhile, and then vanishes, Matt. xiii. 20, 21. 

Q,. 5. Has this kind of faith any influence upon the 
practice 1 

A. It may be, for a time, accompanied with an external 
reformation from some grosser sins, 2 Pet. ii. 20. 

Q,. 6. What is the faith of miracles 1 

A. It is that peculiar gift, by which a person believes, 
that, by the power of God, something shall be effected by 
him which is quite above the power of all natural causes, 
1 Cor. xiii. 2. 

Q. 7. On what occasion has God bestowed upon any 
this faith ? 

A. For the confirmation of some extraordinary mission, 
or of some important article of revealed religion; as the 
miracles of Moses under the Old Testament ; and of the 
apostles under the New. 

Q,. 8. Was not the faith of miracles, in the days of our 
Saviour and his apostles, conferred upon some who were 
not in a state of salvation ! 

13* 



150 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



A. Yes ; both the extraordinary gift of the faith of mir- 
acles, and the ordinary and common gifts of the Spirit, 
were conferred upon some, who, we are assured, will be 
utterly rejected of God, Matt. vii. 22, 23 : " Many will say 
unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 
in thy name I and in thy name have cast out devils ? and 
in thy name done many wonderful tvorks ? And then will 
I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from me, 
ye that work iniquity." 

Q,. 9. What is saving and justifying faith 1 

A. It is that faith in Jesus Christ, which is described in 
the answer, " whereby we receive and rest upon him alone 
for salvation," &c. 

Q,. 10. Why is this faith, described in the answer, called 
a [grace ?] 

A. Because it is the gift of God, freely bestowed upon 
the sinner, Eph. ii. 8, who has no antecedent worth, value, 
or good qualification, of which he can boast, 1 Cor. iv. 7. 

Q,. 11. Why a [saving] grace? 

A. Because wherever true faith is, there salvation is 
already begun, which shall certainly be consummated in 
due time, John iii. 36. 

Q,. 12. Where is the connexion established between faith 
and salvation ! 

A. Faith being the gifted hand that is stretched out to 
receive Christ in the promise, Ps. Ixviii. 31, cannot but be 
inseparably connected with salvation; because Christ, 
whom faith receives, is the all of our salvation, Col. iii. 1 1 : 
hence is that promise, Mark xvi. 16, He that belie veth — 
shall be saved. 

Q,. 13. Why is it called faith [in Jesus Christ 1] 

A. Because Christ is the main, or principal object of sav- 
ing faith, Acts xvi. 31. 

Q,. 14. Why do you call him the main or principal object 
of faith? 

A. Because nothing can fill the eye or hand of faith, but 
Christ only, or God in him, Ps. lxxiii. 25. 

Q. 15. How is faith in Jesus Christ denominated in the 
answer ? 

A. It is called a [receiving,] John i. 12, and [resting] on 
him, Ps. xxxvii. 7. 

Q,. 16. Are there not other denominations of faith in 
Christ of the same divine authority with those mentioned ? 

A. Yes ; such as eating, drinking, flying, entering, and 
many others. 

Q,. 17. From whence are these various denominations of 
faith derived ? 

A. From the different views in which Christ is represen- 
ted in the word. 

QL 18. How may the above denominations of faith be 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



151 



applied to the different views in which Christ is represen- 
ted in the word ? 

A. When the flesh and blood of Christ (or his incarna- 
tion and satisfaction) are exhibited as meat indeed, and 
drink indeed ; faith, in conformity to this, is called eating 
and drinking of the same, John vi. 55, 56 ; when Christ 
is held forth as a refuge, faith is a flying to him for safety, 
Heb. vi. 18 ; and when he is represented as a door, faith is 
an entering in by him, John x. 9. 

Q,. 19. Why is faith, in the answer, expressed by 
[receiving ?] 

A. Because Christ, the glorious object of it, is revealed 
in scripture, under the notion of a gift, 2 Cor. ix. 15, pre- 
sented to such as are quite poor, and have nothing of their 
own, Rom. iii. 17, 18. 

Q,. 20. Can there be a receiving of Christ, without a 
previous giving of him ? 

A. No : there may indeed be a giving, where there is 
no receiving, because the gift may be refused ; but there 
can be no such thing as a receiving of Christ, without a 
giving of him before ; for a man can receive nothing ex- 
cept it be given him from heaven, John iii. 27. 

Q,. 21. Why is faith called a [resting] on Christ? 

A. Because he is revealed in the word as a firm founda- 
tion, Isa. xxviii. 16, on which we may lay the weight of 
our everlasting concerns, with the greatest confidence and 
satisfaction, Ps. cxvi. 7. 

Q,. 22. To what other scripture expression is resting on 
Christ equivalent ? 

A. It is the same with trusting in him, Isa. xxvi. 4 ; or 
relying on his righteousness and fulness, as laid out in the 
word, for our unanswerable plea, and inexhaustible trea- 
sure, chap, xlv. 24. 

Q,. 23. For what end do we receive Christ and rest 
upon him ? 

A. [For salvation,] Acts xv. 1 1. 

Q,. 24. What is the [salvation] for which we receive and 
rest upon Christ ? 

A. It is salvation from sin, Matt. i. 21, as well as from 
wrath, 1 Thess. i. 10; consisting in a life of holiness here, 
as well as of happiness hereafter. It is salvation begun in 
this life, and consummated in glory, Rev. iii. 21. 

Q. 25. Why are we said to receive and rest upon Christ 
[alone] for this salvation? 

A. To exclude every thing else except Christ himself, 
and his righteousness, as the ground of our confidence be- 
fore God, and title to eternal life, Acts iv. 12. 

Q,. 26. What else do men ordinarily rest upon for salva- 
tion? 

A. Upon the general mercy of God ; the works of the 



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law ; or a mixture of their own works with the righteous- 
ness of Christ. 

Q,. 27. Who are they that rest on the general mercy of 
God! 

A. They who never saw the necessity of a satisfaction 
to law and justice, in order to the honourable exercise of 
mercy, according to Ex. xxxiv. 7. 

Q,. 28. Who are they who rest on the works of the law, 
as the ground of their confidence 3 

A. Such as have never been convinced, that the de- 
mands of the law are utterly above their reach, Gal. iii. 12. 

Q. 29. Who are they that are for blending or mixing 
their own works with the righteousness of Christ, as the 
ground of their hope ! 

A. Such as foolishly imagine they can supply what is 
defective in their own obedience, by what Christ has done 
for them, Rom. ix. 31, 32. 

Q,. 30. To what does our Lord resemble this practice ! 

A. To the putting a piece of new cloth into an old gar- 
ment, by which the rent is made worse, Matt. ix. 16. 

Q,. 31. Are not the very expressions of receiving and 
resting on Christ, designed to exclude the works of the 
law, from being any part of the ground of our hope of 
salvation 1 

A. Yes ; for, when a poor man receives his alms, or a 
weary man sits down, and rests himself; neither of them 
can, in any propriety of speech, be said to work. 

Q,. 32. Upon what warrant do we receive and rest upon 
him for salvation! 

A. Upon the warrant of his being offered. 

Q. 33. To whom is he offered 1 

A. He is offered [to us,] men and women of Adam's 
family, in contradistinction to the angels that fell, Heb. 
ii. 16. 

Q,. 34. Where is the offer made I 
A. [In the gospel.] 

Q,. 35. What is the [gospel] as containing this offer 1 
A. It is good tidings, Luke ii. 10; or "the promise of 
eternal life,l John ii. 25, to sinners of mankind, as such, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Pro v. viii. 4. 

Q,. 36. Though the offer of Christ to us be last mention- 
ed, in the answer, yet is it not the first thing to be be- 
lieved I 

A. Surely it is ; for unless one believe that Christ is of- 
fered to him as a Saviour, he will never receive and rest 
upon him for salvation, Rom. x. 14. 

Q,. 37. Who offers Christ to us in the gospel? 

A. God, essentially considered in the person of the Father, 
makes the original or authentic gospel offer of him, John 



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153 



vi. 32: "My Father giveth you the true bread from 
heaven." 

Q,. 38. In what form or tenor does this authentic offer 
rim ? 

A. In the form of a deed of gift, or grant, in which he 
makes over his Son, Jesus Christ, to mankind lost, that 
whosoever of them all shall receive this gift, shall not per- 
ish, but have eternal life. 

Q,. 39. In what text of scripture (amongst others) is this 
grant, or authentic gospel offer, contained ? 

A. It is expressed in so many words, John iii. 16: "God 
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life." 

Q,. 40. Who are they that offer Christ to sinners in sub- 
ordination to God 1 

A. Ministers of the gospel, who have a commission from 
him so to do, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20. 

Q,. 41. What is the ministerial offer] 

A. It is the publishing or proclaiming of Heaven's gift, 
or grant, to sinners of mankind, without exception, as the 
foundation of their faith or warrant to believe, 1 John v. 11. 

Q,. 42. What would be the consequence, if there were 
any exception in the authentic gospel offer ] 

A. The consequence would be, that no ministerial offer 
of Christ could be made to the party excepted, more than 
to the fallen angels. 

Q. 43. Does the universality of Heaven's grant, and of 
the ministerial offer founded on it, infer a universal re- 
demption as to purchase 1 

A. By no means ; it only infers a universal warrant to 
believe. 

Q,. 44. How do you prove that it infers a universal war- 
rant to believe ? 

A. From this, that if there were not such a gift and grant 
of Christ as warranted all to receive him, the unbelieving 
world could not be condemned for rejecting him, as we 
find they are, John iii. 18: "He that believeth not is con- 
demned already." 

Q,. 45. Is there any analogy, or proportion, between our 
receiving and resting on Christ, and the offer that is made 
of him in the gospel ? 

A. Yes : we receive and rest upon him [as] he is offered 
in it, 1 Cor. xv. 11: So we preach, and so ye believed. 

Q,. 46. How is he offered in the gospel ? 

A. He is offered freely, wholly, and particularly. 

Q,. 47. How do you prove, that he is offered, and should 
be received freely? 

A. From Isa. lv. 1: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come 
ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye 



154 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without 
money and without price, Rev. xxii. 17: Whosoever will, 

let him take the water of life freely." 

Q,. 43. Why is Christ to be received freely? 

A. Because God, out of his sovereign and matchless 
love, makes a free gift of him to mankind sinners, John hi. 
16, as being infinitely above all price, Job xxviii. 13 — 24. 

Q. 49. What do the proud and legal hearts of sinners 
bring as a price for Christ, who is absolutely inestimable ! 

A. Their duties, their good qualifications, their honest 
aims, their sincere endeavours, and the like. 

Q,. 50. Why do they presume to bring such things as 
these 1 

A. Because they know not that they are wretched, and 
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, Rev. iii. 17. 

Q. 51. What is it to receive Christ wholly] 

A. It is to receive him in his person, as vested with all 
his relative offices, of prophet, priest, and king. 

Q. 52. Why must he be received wholly ? 

A. Because there is nothing of Christ we can possibly 
do without: standing in absolute need of him, as a pro- 
phet for instruction ; as a priest, for righteousness ; and as 
a king, for sanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30. 

Q,. 53. What is it for a person to receive Christ par- 
ticularly ] 

A. It is to be verily persuaded that Christ is his, upon 
the grant and offer of him, in the word, to him in particu- 
lar, John vii. 37, and ix. 35. 

Q,. 54. Is it not sufficient that a man believe, that the 
grant and offer of Christ is to sinners of mankind in gen- 
eral ! 

A. No : there can be no benefit by a belief of the general 
offer, without a particular application, or appropriation of 
it to the person himself, 1 Tim. i. 15. 

Q,. 55. How is this illustrated by an example? 

A. It is commonly illustrated thus : If a king makes a 
proclamation of pardon and indemnity to all the rebels 
within his kingdom, it is plain, that every individual rebel 
must either believe the pardon of his own crime of re- 
bellion in particular, or else reject the king's proclamation 
of grace, and continue in his rebellious practices : there is 
no medium. 

Q,. 56. Is not believing that an indemnity is offered to 
rebels in general, a medium between the two ] 

A. No: because loyal subjects, who need no pardon, 
may believe that a general indemnity is offered to rebels ; 
and this even rebels themselves may believe, who yet may 
reject the benefit of that indemnity, and continue in their 
rebellion, John v. 40. 

Q,. 57. Is a belief and persuasion of the mercy of God in 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



155 



Christ, and of Christ's ability and willingness to save all 
that come to him, all that is necessary to constitute justi- 
fying faith ! 

A. No : because there being no appropriation, or par- 
ticular application in this persuasion, it can be no more 
than such a faith as devils and reprobates may have ; or 
such as Papists and Arminians may subscribe to, consis- 
tently with their other errors and heresies. 

Q,. 58. What is that appropriating persuasion, in the 
nature of faith, which is necessary to answer the call and 
offer of the gospel 1 

A. It is not a persuasion that Christ is mine in posses- 
sion, or that I am already in a state of grace : but a per- 
suasion that Christ is mine in the gift of God, and offer of 
the gospel, Zech. xiii. 9 : " I will say, It is my people ; and 
they shall say, The Lord is my God : and therefore I ap- 
propriate to myself the common salvation, Acts xv. 1 1 ; or 
what did lie before me in common, in the gospel offer, I 
take home to my own soul in particular, Gal. ii. 20, " Who 
loved me, and gave himself for me :" believing that I shall 
have life and salvation by Christ; and that whatever he 
did, for the redemption of sinners, he did it for me. 

GL 59. Why is an appropriating persuasion (or, a man's 
being persuaded that Christ is his in particular) necessary 
to the nature of saving and justifying faith 7 

A. Because nothing can relieve the sinner from the 
curse of the law, accusing and condemning him in par- 
ticular, but faith's application of an offered Saviour, as 
made a curse for him in particular, to deliver him from 
that law-curse, Gal. iii. 10, 13. 

Q,. 60. How do you prove, that a particular application 
of Christ is the effectual relief from the curse of the law, 
denounced against the sinner in particular? 

A. From this, that the free gift is as full to justification, 
as the offence, through the law, was to condemnation ; for, 
" as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to 
condemnation ; even so, by the righteousness of one, the 
free gift came upon all men to justification of life," Rom. 
v. 18. 

Q,. 61. Since an appropriating persuasion is necessary 
to the nature of faith, has every one that has true faith, 
always an assurance of his being in a gracious state ? 

A. No ; for though a believer be persuaded that Christ 
is his in the promise and offer of the gospel : yet, through 
the prevalency of remaining corruption, he may frequently 
doubt of his being in a state of grace, or of his present title 
to eternal life, Isa. xlix. 14. 

Q,. 62. Is doubting, then, in the nature of faith, because 
it is incident to the believer 1 

A. Doubting can no more be said to be in the nature of 



15G 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



faith, because, through the prevalence of unbelief and cor- 
ruption, it sometimes takes place in the believer, than dark- 
ness can be said to be in the nature of the sun, because it 
is sometimes eclipsed ; for faith and doubting are, in their 
own nature, opposite, Matt. xxi. 21 : "If ye have faith, and 
doubt not." 

Q,. 63. Have all true believers the same measure of sav- 
ing faith? 

A. No ; some are but of little faith, Matt. xiv. 31 ; where- 
as others are " strong in faith ; giving glory to God," Rom. 
iv. 20. Howbeit the lowest measure of true and saving 
faith is infallibly connected with glory, Matt. xii. 20. 

Q,. 64. What are the evidences of a strong faith 1 

A. Trusting to the bare word of a faithful and powerful 
God, even when the outward course of providence seems 
to run against the performance of the promise, Rom. iv. 
19; a fixed resolution to wait on the Lord, for the prom- 
ised good which w^e want, even after seeming repulses 
and refusals, Matt. xv. 22 — 29; and a sedate reposing 
ourselves on an unchangeable God, under all the vicissi- 
tudes of time, Ps. cxii. 7. 

Q. 65. How may the weakness of faith be discerned? 

A. The more easily a person can suspect the love and 
favour of God, Isa. xl. 27 ; the more impatient under delays 
of answering requests, chap, xxxviii. 14 ; and the more 
addicted to a life of sense, John xx. 25, the weaker is the 
faith. 

Q. 66. How may the truth and reality of saving faith be 
known, though it be in the weakest and lowest degree ? 

A. If we bear an inward enmity to all sins, because 
offensive to God, Ps. li. 4; if we can say, that it is the de- 
sire of our souls to love Christ above all things, John xxi. 
17 ; and to be eternal debtors to free grace, reigning through 
his righteousness, Rom. v. 20, 21 ; then we may warrant- 
ably conclude, that our faith, however weak, is yet of a 
saving nature. 

Q,. 67. To what is true faith opposed in scripture 1 

A. It is opposed to a staggering at the promise, Rom. iv 
20 ; to wavering, James i. 6 ; to doubting, Matt. xxi. 21 ; 
and, in a word, to unbelief, Mark ix. 24. 

Q,. 68. Who are they who will not be charged with the 
sin of unbelief! 

A. The Heathen world, who are not privileged with the 
light of gospel revelation, Rom. x. 14: "How shall they 
believe in him of whom they have not heard !" 

Q,. 69. What is the evil of this sin, in those who are fa- 
voured with gospel light ? 

A. It makes God a liar, 1 John v. 10 ; treads " under foot 
the Son of God;" and does "despite unto the Spirit of 
grace," Heb. x. 29. 



OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. 



157 



Q,. 70. What is the proper seat of faith ] 

A. The heart: for with the heart man believeth unto 
righteousness, Rom. x. 10; though faith be radically in 
the understanding, yet it operates upon the will, which em- 
braces the objectVith particular application, Heb. xi. 13. 

Q,. 71. Is knowledge necessary to saving faith 3 

A. It is so necessary that there can be no saving faith 
without it, 1 John iv. 16: " We have known and believed 
the love that God hath to us." 

Q,. 72. What is the difference between the knowledge of 
faith, and speculative knowledge ] 

A. The knowledge of faith is humbling, 1 Cor. viii. 2 ; 
transforming, Acts xxvi. 18; affectionate, 1 John iv. 8; 
and progressive, Hos. vi. 3 : whereas, common or specula- 
tive knowledge has none of these properties, nor effects. 

Q,. 73. In what consists the harmony or agreement be- 
tween faith, love, and hope ? 

A. By faith, we get a sight of an unseen good, and be- 
lieve it, Heb. xi. 27 ; by love we desire and seek after it, 
Isa. xxvi. 8 ; and by hope, we confidently expect, and pa- 
tiently wait for it, Rom. viii. 25. 

Q,. 74. How does faith view and consider its objects'? 

A. It views them, as certain, suitable, and invisible. 

Q. 75. Why does it view them as certain 1 

A. Because of the unquestionable veracity of God who 
reveals them, John vi. 69 : " We believe, and are sure, that 
thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." 

Q,. 76. Why does it consider them as suitable * 

A. Because they are exactly adapted to the state and 
circumstance of the soul, whatever they are, 1 Cor. i. 30. 
1 Tim. i. 15. 

Q,. 77. Why does faith view its objects as invisible ? 

A. Because it acts and goes forth toward them, upon 
the bare testimony of God ; not only without the concur- 
rence of sense and carnal reason, John xx. 29, but often- 
times contrary to them, Rom. iv. 18, 19. 

Q,. 78. Is faith any part of our justifying righteousness'? 

A. No: we acknowledge no other righteousness, for 
pardon and acceptance, but the righteousness of Christ 
alone, Phil. iii. 9. 

Q,. 79. Why then are we said to be justified by faith 1 
Rom. v. 1. 

A. Because it is faith which lays hold upon, and receives 
that righteousness by which we are justified, Rom. iii. 22. 

Q,. 80. Is not faith necessary to interest us in Christ, and 
the benefits of his purchase? 

A. Yes; for though the endorsement of the promise to 
us, gives us a right of access, Acts ii. 39 ; yet it is faith, 
that gives the right of possession, John vi. 47: " He that 
believeth on me hath everlasting life." 

Part 11—14. 



158 



OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 



Quest. 87. What is repentance unto life ? 

Ans. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby 
a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehen- 
sion of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and 
hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full pur- 
pose of, and endeavour after, new obedience. 

Q,. 1. Why is the repentance, described in the answer, 
called [repentance unto life?] Acts xi. 18. 

A. Because being a saving grace, it is inseparably con- 
nected with salvation, of which it is a part ; and likewise 
to distinguish it from the sorrow of the world, which 
worketh death, 2 Cor. vii. 10. 

Q,. 2. What is meant by the sorrow of the world work- 
ing death 1 

A. The meaning is, that the legal sorrow, or horror of 
conscience, which the men of the world may have, from a 
dread of God, as a vindictive judge, ready to pour out the 
vials of his wrath and vengeance upon them, without any 
conception or belief of his mercy through Christ, is nothing 
else but the beginning of eternal death, and inconceivable 
misery ; as was the case with Cain, Judas, and others. 

Q,. 3. Whether is repentance a transient action or an 
abiding principle } 

A. It is an abiding principle, continually disposing the 
person to mourn for sin, and to turn from it all the days 
of his life, Isa. xxxvhi. 14, 15. 

Q,. 4. Is repentance then to be considered as a thing that 
is over with the first days of one's religion ? 

A. No ; but it is to be viewed as a permanent grace, an 
habitual frame of soul, inclining those who are privileged 
with it, to mourn daily for sin, till " God shall wipe away 
all tears from their eyes," in heaven, Rev. xxi. 4. 
• Q,. 5. Who is the proper subject of repentance? 

A. None but a [sinner] can be the subject capable of it : 
for just or righteous persons need no repentance, Luke 
xv. 7. 

d. 6. By whom is it wrought in the heart of a sinner I 

A. "By the Spirit of God, Zech. xii. 10."* 

Q,. 7. What is the instrument or means, by which the 

Spirit works this grace ? 
A. "The word of God, Acts, xi. 18, 20, 2I."f 
Q,. 8. What is the instrumentality of the word, in the 

hand of the Spirit, for working repentance 1 
A. In the word there is a display of the holiness of the 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 76. 



t Ibid. 



OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 



159 



divine nature and law, to which we ought to be conform- 
ed, Lev. xix. 2 ; the word also discovers the necessity of 
union with Christ, and the imputation of his righteous- 
ness, as the foundation of true holiness, 1 Cor. i. 30; to- 
gether with the inevitable ruin of all who go on in their 
trespasses, Ps. lxviii. 21, and all these powerfully set home, 
by the Spirit, upon the conscience of the sinner. 
Q,. 9. In what consists [a true sense of sin 1] 
A. In a " sight and sense, not only of the danger, but 
also of the filthiness and odiousness of sin, Ezek. xxxvi. 
31,"* as contrary to the holiness of God, and, consequent- 
ly, as highly offensive to him, Ps. li. 4. 
Q,. 10. How is a true sense of sin begotten in the soul 1 
A. By faith, or an [apprehension of the mercy of God in 
Christ.] 

Q,. 1 1. May there not be a sense of sin without this ap- 
prehension of the mercy of God in Christ 1 

A. Yes ; but not a [true] sense ; there may be a sense 
of sin as hurtful to the person, Gen. iv. 13 ; but not as hate- 
ful to God, Hab. i. 13. 

Q,. 12. Why is the mercy of God said to be apprehended 
[in Christ 1] 

A. Because though God is essentially merciful, yet his 
mercy can have no egress towards any sinner of man- 
kind, consistently with the honour of his justice and holi- 
ness, except through the obedience and satisfaction of 
Christ, Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7. 

Q,. 13. What is it to apprehend the mercy of God in 
Christ 1 

A. It is the same with faith, or believing ; it being by 
faith only, that we can lay hold upon his mercy, Ps. xiii. 5. 

Q,. 14. Is it from faith then that repentance flows, as the 
proper source of it 1 

A. Yes; for though faith and repentance are graces 
given together, and at once in respect of time ; yet, in the 
order of nature, the acting of faith goes before the exercise 
of repentance, Zech. xii. 10. 

Q,. 15. How does it appear, from scripture, that faith 
goes before repentance, in the order of nature ? 

A. The scriptures set forth t^e blessed object of faith, 
and the promises of rich grace, as powerful motives and 
inducements to repentance, Jer. hi. 14, Joel ii. 13; by 
which it is evident that it must be by a believing applica- 
tion of this glorious object, brought nigh in the promise, 
that a sinner is enabled to exercise true repentance, Acts 
xi. 21: "And a great number believed, and turned unto 
the Lord." 

Q,. 16. How may the precedency of faith be evinced from 
the nature of repentance itself 1 

* Larger Catechism, Question 76. 



160 



OP REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 



A. Repentance is turning from sin unto God ; but there 
can be no turning to God, but through Christ, John xiv. 6 ; 
and no coming to Christ except by faith, chap. vi. 35. 

Q,. 17. Is not repentance placed before faith in scripture, 
Mark i. 15, Repent ye, and believe the gospel] 

A. The reason is, repentance being the end, and faith 
the means to that end ; though the end be first in one's 
intention, yet the means are first in practice. Thus, in 
the text quoted, Christ commands sinners to repent ; but 
then in order to their repenting, he commands them to 
believe the gospel, as the only way to do it. 

Q. 18. How are we sure, that where repentance is 
named before faith in scripture, it is to be understood of 
repentance as the end, and of faith as the only way and 
means ! 

A. From Acts xx. 21: Testifying — " repentance toward 
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ :" where it 
is obvious, that if faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ is not 
the means of repentance toward God, that fundamental 
truth would be destroyed, that Christ is the only way to 
the Father, as he himself affirms, John xiv. 6 : " No man 
cometh unto the Father but by me." 

Q,. 19. Is repentance to be separated from faith 1 

A. No : though these graces are to be distinguished, yet 
they are never to be separated from one another, being 
conjoined in the same promise, Zech. xii. 10: " They shall 
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall 
mourn for him." 

Q. 20. What is the evil of maintaining, that none but 
true penitents have a warrant to embrace Christ by faith ] 

A. It sets sinners upon spinning repentance out of their 
own bowels, that they may fetch it with them, as a price 
in their hand to Christ, instead of coming to him by faith, 
to obtain it from him, as his gift, Acts v. 31. 

Q,. 21. What are the constituent parts, or ingredients, of 
true repentance, as flowing from faith 1 

A. [Grief and hatred of sin ; turning from it unto God ; 
with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.] 

Q. 22. What is that [grief] which is an ingredient of 
true repentance 1 4 

A. It is a real, inward and abiding sorrow for sin, as of- 
fensive and dishonouring to a holy and gracious God, Job 
xl. 4, 5. 

Q,. 23. What is that [hatred] of sin, which accompanies 
true repentance 1 

A. It is not only a loathing and abhorring of our sin, but 
of ourselves, on account of it, Isa. vi. 5. 

Q,. 24. What are the qualities of this hatred] 

A. It is universal, against all sin, Ps. cxix. 104 ; and ir- 
reconcilable to any known sin, Ps. ci. 3. 



OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 



161 



Q,. 25. What is the formal nature of evangelical repent- 
ance, or that which properly completes it ? 

A. It is when a sinner doth, with grief and hatred of his 
sin, [turn from it unto God.] 

Q,. 26. From what does the sinner turn in repentance? 

A. He turns from sin ; because a continuance in the 
practice of sin is inconsistent with repentance, Ezek. xiv. 
6: "Repent and turn — from your idols, and turn away 
your faces from all your abominations." 

Q,. 27. How can penitents be said to turn from sin, when 
it remains in them, and they are daily offending while in 
this life ? 

A. Though they cannot shake themselves loose of the 
being and remains of sin, yet they turn from it, not only 
in their life and conversation, but likewise in their heart 
and affection. 

Q,. 28. How do they evidence that they turn from it in 
their life and conversation 1 

A. By resisting the outbreakings of sin, and all tempta- 
tions to it, Ps. xviii. 23 ; by watching against all occasions 
of it, Prov. iv. 14, 15; and endeavouring to "have always 
a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men," 
Acts xxiv. 16. 

Q,. 29. How do they manifest their turning from sin in 
heart and affection I 

A. In as much as though sin cleaves to them, they do 
not cleave to it, as formerly, but hate and loathe it, Ps. 
cxix. 104, 113. 

Q,. 30. To what does the sinner turn in repentance? 

A. He turns [unto God,] Hos. vi. 1: Come, and let us 
return unto the Lord. 

Q,. 31. Do not many turn from one sin to another, and 
never to God 7 

A. Yes : " They return, but not to the Most High," Hos. 
vii. 16. 

Q,. 32. What is the true cause of the sinner's turning to 
God? 

A. It is his being turned unto God first, Jer. xxxi. 19: 
u Surely, after that I was turned, I repented." 

Q,. 33. How is the sinner turned unto God first ? 

A. By the Spirit's working faith in him, whereby he re- 
ceives and rests on Christ for salvation, of which remis- 
sion of sin, and repentance, are a part, Acts v. 31. 

Q. 34. In what does the sinner's turning to God consist ? 

A. It consists in his turning to the loving of God, as his 
Lord and Master, Isa. xxvi. 13 ; and to his duty to him as 
such, Acts ix. 6. 

Q,. 35. How does the returning sinner express his love 
to God, as his Lord and Master ? 

14* 



162 



OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 



A. By a voluntary choice of him as his only Lord, Hos. 
ii. 7 ; and by looking upon his service as the greatest free- 
dom and happiness, Ps. lxxxiv. 4. 

Q,. 36. How does he testify his returning to his duty to 
God, as his Lord and Master 1 

A. By a [full purpose of, and endeavour after new obe- 
dience.] 

Q,. 37. What is the nature of this [purpose] of duty to 
God, into which the true penitent enters I 

A. It is a purpose or resolution to return to the practice 
of every known duty, Ps. cxix. 106, and to spirituality in 
it, Phil. iii. 3. 

Q,. 38. Why called a [full] purpose? 

A. Because it is not only a resolution of what a person 
will do hereafter, but a resolution which is immediately 
put in execution, without delay, Ps. cxix. 60 : "I made 
haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments ;" like 
the prodigal, who says, I will arise, and go to my father ; 
and immediately he arose and went, Luke xv. 18, 20. 

Q,. 39. What is the inseparable concomitant of this full 
purpose in all true penitents ? 

A. An [endeavour after new obedience.] 

Q,. 40. Why is a full purpose of new obedience connect- 
ed with an endeavour after it ) 

A. Because purposes, without endeavours, are but like 
blossoms without fruit, which can never prove one to be a 
true penitent, Matt. xxi. 30. 

t Q,. 41. Why called an [endeavour] after new obedience? 

A. Because, though the penitent is sensible he cannot 
perform this kind of obedience in his own strength, yet he 
aims at it, and at no less than perfection in it, Phil. iii. 14 : 
" I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus." 

Q,. 42. Why is the obedience which the true penitent 
purposes and endeavours after, called [new obedience ?] 

A. Because it is such an obedience as flows from a new 
principle, is influenced by new motives, performed in a 
new manner, and is aimed at a new end. 

Q,. 43. What is the new principle from which this obe- 
dience flows 1 

A. A principle of faith, Rom. xiv. 23, and a principle of 
love, John xiv. 15. 

Q,. 44. What are the new motives by which this new 
obedience is influenced'? 

A. The grace of God, Tit. ii. 11, 12; and the love of 
Christ, 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 

Q,. 45. What are the motives by which men, in a natural 
state, are influenced to duties 2 

A. The dictates of a natural conscience, Rom. ii. 15; 
their own interest and reputation, Matt. vi. 5, a mercenary 



OF REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE. 



163 



hope of heaven, Micah vi. 6, 7, or a slavish fear of hell, 
Isa. xxxiii. 14. 

Q. 46. What is the new manner in which new obedience 
is performed 1 

A. It is performed in the strength of Christ, Phil. iv. 13; 
or in a dependence on the furniture secured in the pro- 
mise, 2 Cor. xii. 9 ; it is done with delight, Isa. lxiv. 5 ; and 
with the whole heart, Ps. cxix. 69. 

Q,. 47. What is the new end at which it aims ? 

A. The glory of God is the ultimate end of it, 1 Cor. 
x. 31. 

Q,. 48. What is the difference between legal and gospel 
repentance ] 

A. Legal repentance flows from a dread of God's wrath, 
Matt, xxvii. 3, 5, 6 ; but gospel repentance from the faith 
of his mercy, Ps. cxxx. 4 ; in legal repentance, the sinner 
is taken up mostly with the fatal consequences of sin, Isa. 
lxix. 9 — 12; in gospel repentance, he is chiefly affected 
with the evil nature of it, as contrary to the holy nature 
and law of God, Luke xv. 21. 

Q,. 49. What are the motives that should produce re- 
pentance } 

A. The command of God, Acts xvii. 30 ; the sufferings 
of Christ, Zech. xii. 10 ; and the certain danger of impeni- 
tency, Luke xiii. 5. 

Q,. 50. What are the evidences of true repentance ? 

A. The very same that are mentioned by the apostle, 2 
Cor. vii. 11: "For behold, the self-same thing that ye sor- 
rowed after a godry sort, what carefulness it wrought in 
you ; yea, what clearing of yourselves ; yea, what indig- 
nation; yea, what fear ; yea, what vehement desire ; yea, 
what zeal ; yea, what revenge !" 

Q,. 51. What is that carefulness which is a mark of the 
true penitent 1 

A. It is carefulness about the one thing needful, that 
good part which shall not be taken away, Luke x. 42. 

Q. 52. Upon what ground will the true penitent clear 
himself) 

A. Only upon the ground of the surety righteousness 
imputed to him, Isa. xlv. 24. 

Q,. 53. What is the principal object of his indignation 1 

A. It is sin, as striking immediately against God, Ps. li. 
4, compared with Ps. cxix. 104. 

Q,. 54. W T hat is that fear, which is an evidence of true 
repentance 1 

A. It is a filial and reverential fear of God, or a standing 
in awe to offend him, Gen. xxxix. 9. 

Q,. 55. What is that vehement desire, with which a true 
penitent is privileged ) 



164 



OF CHRIST S ORDINANCES IN GENERAL. 



A. It is an earnest and ardent desire after conformity to 
God, and fellowship with him, Ps. xxvii. 4. 

Q. 56. What kind of zeal is it, that is evidential of gos- 
pel repentance? 

A. It is zeal for the glory of God, and the interest of 
Christ in the world, Ps. cxxxvii. 5, 6. 

Q,. 57. What is that revenge, which is competent to a 
true penitent I 

A. It is such a revenge against sin, as aims at its utter 
ruin and extirpation, Rom. vii. 24. 

Q,. 58. In what respects is repentance necessary 1 

A. It is necessary in respect of the command of God, 
Acts xvii. 30, and as evidential of the reality of faith, of 
which it is the native fruit, and effect, Zech. xii. 10. 

Q,. 59. May not this duty be delayed or put off for 
a while ! 

A. No ; because of the uncertainty of time, Luke xii. 
19, 20, and of the continuance of the Spirit's striving, Gen. 
vi. 3. 

Q,. 60. When should the Lord's people apply to him, for 
the exercise of this grace of repentance, in a more espe- 
cial and particular manner 1 

A. After great falls, 2 Sam. xii. 13; when under severe 
trials, or deep affliction, 2 Sam. xv. 26, 30 ; and when they 
are to ask of God some singular favour or mercy, Dan. 
ix. 8, compared with verses 18, 19. 

Q. 61. By what means may the lively exercise of repent- 
ance be attained? 

A. By looking on it as the gift of Christ, Acts v. 31; and 
by viewing our sins as laid on him, who was pierced for 
them, Zech. xii. 10; together with searching and trying 
our ways, Lam. iii. 40. 



Quest. 88. What are the oiitivard and ordinary 
means whereby Christ commicnicateth to us the benefits of 
redemption ? 

Ans. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ 
communicateth to us the benefits of rede ^tion, are his 
ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer • 
all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. 

Q,. 3 . What do you understand by [the benefits of re- 
demption'?] 

A. All the blessings of Christ's purchase, which may be 
summed up in grace here, and glory hereafter, Ps. lxxxiv. 



of Christ's ordinances in general. 165 

Q,. 2. Who [communicateth] these benefits or blessings 
to us? 

A. [Christ] himself, who has them wholly at his dispo- 
sal, Luke xxii. 29 : I appoint unto you a kingdom. 

Q. 3. How comes Christ to have the disposal of them 
wholly in his hands ] 

A. By his Father's gift, John iii. 35 : " The Father loveth 
the Son, and hath given all things into his hand and by 
his own purchase of them; hence called a purchased pos- 
session, Eph. i. 14. 

Q,. 4. What is it for Christ to communicate the benefits 
of redemption ! 

A. It is not to give away the property of them from him- 
self, but to make us sharers with him in them all ; that is, 
to make us heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, Rom. 
viii. 17. 

Q,. 5. Does Christ communicate them in a mediate or 
immediate way? 

A. In a mediate way, through the intervention of ordi- 
nances, Eph. iv. 11 — 14. 

Q,. 6. What are the [ordinances] by winch Christ com- 
municates to us the benefits of redemption ? 

A. They are " prayer and thanksgiving, in the name of 
Christ ; the reading, preaching, and^ hearing of the word ; 
the administering, and receiving the sacraments ; church 
government and discipline ; the ministry and maintenance 
thereof ; religious fasting ; swearing by the name of God, 
and vowing unto him." * 

Q,. 7. Why are these called [His] ordinances ! 

A. Because they are all of them instituted and prescribed 
by him in his word, as the alone King and Head of his 
church, to be observed in it to the end of the world, Matt, 
xxviii. 20. 

Q,. 8. Have we any reason to expect, that the benefits 
of redemption will be communicated by ordinances of 
man's invention and appointment 1 

A. No ; for all such ordinances, having no higher sanc- 
tion than the commandments of men, are declared to be 
in vain, Matt. xv. 9 : they are condemned as will- worship, 
Col. ii. 23 ; and the observers of them severely threatened, 
Mic. vi. 16. 

Q,. 9. Why is it said, [especially the word, sacraments, 
and prayer 1] 

A. Because, though the other ordinances above men- 
tioned are not to be excluded, as being all of them useful 
in their own place ; yet the word, sacraments, and prayer, 
are the chief or principal outward means for communicat- 
ing the benefits of redemption, Acts ii. 42. 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 108. See them all explained, on the Duties 
required in the Second Commandment. 



166 



OF CHRIST'S ORDINANCES IN GENERAL. 



Q,. 10. What is the special usefulness of the [word] for 
communicating the benefits of redemption] 

A. In the word these benefits are exhibited and offered 
to sinners of mankind, as the ground of their faith, that, 
believing they may be possessed of them all, John xx. 31. 

Q,. 1 1. What is the special usefulness of the [sacraments] 
for communicating these benefits 1 

A. The sacraments represent to our senses, 1 Cor. x. 
16, what the word does to our faith, and are designed for 
the confirmation of it, Rom. iv. 11. 

Q,. 12. What is the special usefulness of [prayer] for the 
above purpose ? 

A. The prayer of faith fetches home to the soul all the 
good that is wrapped up both in the word and in the sa- 
craments, Mark xi. 24 : " What things soever ye desire 
wmen ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall 
have them." 

Q. 13. Why are the word, sacraments, and prayer, called 
[means,] by which Christ communicates to us the benefits 
of redemption'? 

A. Because he is pleased to begin and carry on the 
work of grace in the soul, by and under these ordinances, 
Acts ii. 41, 42. 

Q,. 14. Why called the [outward] means'? 

A. To distinguish them from faith, repentance, and other 
inward means ; and particularly to distinguish them from 
the inward and powerful influences of the Holy Spirit, 
which are necessary to accompany the outward means in 
order to salvation, Zech. iv. 6. 

O. 15. Why called [ordinary] means'? 

A. Because they are the stated and ordinary way and 
method, by which Christ communicates the benefits of 
redemption to sinners of mankind, Rom. x. 14 — 18. Ezek. 
xxxvii. 28. 

Q,. 16. Are there any extraordinary means without the 
w^ord, by which Christ communicates the benefits of re- 
demption to adult persons 1 

A. No ; for whatever providences God may make use 
of, when he is beginning or carrying on his work of grace 
in the soul, Acts ix. 3 — 7 ; yet these dispensations are al- 
ways to be considered in a subserviency to the word, chap, 
xvi. 25 — 33, or as occasions of the Spirit's working in con- 
currence with it, 2 Pet. i. 18, 19. 

Q,. 17. Are the ordinances, of themselves, effectual for 
communicating the benefits of redemption ? 

A. No; they are [made effectual,] Rom. i. 16. 

Q,. 18. To whom are they made effectual 1 

A. To the [elect] only, Acts xiii. 48. 

Q,. 19. For what end are they made effectual to the elect? 

A. For [salvation,] Heb. x. 39. 



OP THE WORD MADE EFFECTUAL TO SALVATION. 167 

Q,. 20. What is meant by salvation I 

A. Not only a begun deliverance from all sin and mise- 
ry, and a begun possession of all happiness and blessed- 
ness in this life, John iii. 15; but likewise a total freedom 
from the one, and a full and uninterrupted enjoyment of 
the other, in the life to come, Rev. xxi. 4. 

Q,. 21. If the ordinances are made effectual to the elect 
only for salvation, why have others, in the visible church, 
the benefit of them 1 

A. To show the infinite intrinsic sufficiency of the satis- 
faction of Christ, 1 John iv. 14 ; and, at the same time, to 
render those who slight such valuable privileges the more 
inexcusable, John xv. 22. 

Q,. 22. What may we learn from Christ's instituting his 
ordinances to be the outward and ordinary means of sal- 
vation 1 

A. We may from thence learn the difference between 
the church militant, which sees but through a glass darkly, 
and the church triumphant, which sees face to face, 1 Cor. 
xiii. 12. 



Quest. 89. How is the ivord made effectual to salva- 
tion ? 

Ans. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but espe- 
cially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of 
convincing and converting sinners, and of building them 
up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation. 

Q,. 1. What is meant by [the word] in this answ T er? 

A. The whole of divine revelation, contained in the 
scriptures of the Old and New Testament. 

Q,. 2. What has God appointed with reference to his 
word, that it may be effectual to salvation ? 

A. He has appointed [the reading,] John v. 39; but 
especially the preaching thereof, 2 Tim. iv. 2. 

Q. 3. " Is the word of God to be read by all?" 

A. "Although all are not permitted to read the word 
publicly to the congregation, Deut. xxxi. 9, 11, yet all sorts 
of people are bound to read it apart by themselves, chap, 
xvii. 19, and with their families, chap. vi. 7."* 

Q,. 4. What is the meaning of these words in our Larger 
Catechism, " all are not permitted to read the word pub- 
licly to the congregation l n 

A. The meaning is not, as if there were an order of men 



* Larger Catechism, Question. 156. 



168 



OF THE WORD IN PARTICULAR, 



appointed by Christ, to be readers in the church, distinct 
from ministers ; but only, that none ought to read publicly 
to the congregation, except those whose office it is, not 
only to read the word of God, but to explain it to the edi- 
fication of others, Neh. viii. 8 : "So they read in the book 
of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and 
caused them (namely, the people,) to understand the 
reading." 

Q,. 5. Why is the reading of the scriptures apart by our- 
selves necessary for every one ? 

A. Because the scriptures are a sword for defence, Eph. 
vi. 17; a lamp for direction, Ps. cxix. 105; and food for 
nourishment, Jer. xv. J6: in all which respects they are 
necessary for every Christian travelling Zion-ward, 2 Tim. 
iii. 16, 17. 

Q,. 6. May not the reading of the scriptures in our 
families, supersede the reading of them apart by our- 
selves] 

A. No; the doing of the one ought by no means to 
justle out the other. 

Q,. 7. What is essentially requisite in order to capaci- 
tate the unlearned to read the scriptures? 

A. That they be " translated out of the original into 
vulgar languages, 1 Cor. xiv. 11."* 

Q,. 8. How is the word of God to be read 1 

A. " The holy scriptures are to be read with a high and 
re verend esteem of them, Neh. viii. 5 ; with a firm persua- 
sion that they are the very word of God, 2 Pet. i. 21 ; and 
that he only can enable us to understand them, Luke 
xxiv. 45." f 

Q,. 9. Why should we read the scriptures w T ith a high 
and reverend esteem of them ] 

A. Because they are dictated by the Holy Ghost, and 
"are able to make us wise unto salvation," 2 Tim. iii. 15. 

Q. 10. Why should we read them with a firm persuasion 
that they are the very word of God 1 

A. Because without this we can never build our hope on 
them, as containing the words of eternal lite, 1 Thess. 
ii. 13. 

Q,. 1 1. Why should we read them with a persuasion that 
God only can enable us to understand them 1 

A. Because, without this, we cannot exercise a depend- 
ence upon him, for that spiritual and internal illumination, 
which is necessary to a saving and experimental know- 
ledge of them, 1 Cor. ii. 10. 

Q,. 1 2. " By whom is the word of God to be preached V 1 

A. " Only by such as are sufficiently gifted, Mai. ii. 7, 
and also duly approved and called to that office, Rom. x. 
15. 1 Tim. iv. 14." J 

* Larger Catechism Quest. 156. t Ibid. Quest. 157. J Ibid. Quest. 158. 



AS MADE EFFECTUAL TO SALVATION. 



169 



Q,. 13. Who are they that are sufficient^ gifted] 
A. They are such as are not only of a blameless moral 
walk, and have a good report of them that are without, 1 
Tim. iii. 7 : but likewise such as have a competent stock 
of human literature, Tit. i. 9 ; and are, in the judgment of 
charity, reputed to be pious and religious men, 2 Tim. i. 5. 

Q,. 14. What is it to be duly approved and called to that 
office) 

A. It is not only to be approved by the presbytery, who 
have the sole power of trying the ministerial qualifications, 
and of ordination to that office, 1 Tim. iv. 14 ; but likewise 
to have the call and consent of the people, who are to be 
under the pastoral inspection and charge, Acts i. 23, and 
xiv. 23. 

Q,. 15. "How is the word of God to be preached by 
those that are called thereunto ?" 

A. They are to preach " sound doctrine diligently, 
plainly, faithfully, wisely, zealously, and sincerely."* 

Q,. 16. What are we to understand by sound doctrine 1 

A. The whole system of divine truth, contained in the 
holy scriptures, or evidently deducible from it ; particular- 
ly whatever has the greatest tendency to depreciate self, 
and to exalt Christ, who ought to be the main and leading 
subject of alL gospel preaching, 2 Cor. iv. 5. 

Q. 17. What is it to preach sound doctrine diligently? 

A. It is to be " instant in season, and out of season, 2 
Tim. iv. 2 :" f embracing every opportunity of doing good 
to souls ; and watching for them, as they that must give 
account, Heb. xiii. 17. 

Q. 18. What is it to preach plainly? 

A. It is to essay it, " not in enticing words of man's wis- 
dom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power, 1 
Cor. ii. 4."{ 

Q,. 19. What is it to preach the word faithfully? 

A. It is a " making known the whole counsel of God," 
(or at least a not shunning to do so,) Acts xx. 27. § 

Q,. 20. When may ministers be said to preach wisely? 

A. When in studying, or preaching, they are wholly 
taken up in " applying themselves to the necessities and 
capacities of the hearers," || Luke xii. 42. 1 Cor. iii. 2. 

Q,. 21. When do they preach the word zealously? 

A. When they do it " with fervent love to God, and the 
souls of his people, IT 2 Cor. v. 14, and xii. 15." 

Q. 22. How is the word preached sincerely? 

A. When there is an " aiming at God's glory," and his 
people's " conversion, edification, and salvation, 1 Thess. ii. 
4. 1 Cor. ix. 22. 1 Tim. iv. 16." ** 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 159. t Ibid. f Ibid. § Ibid. 
II Ibid. IT Ibid. **Ibid. 

Part 11—15. 



170 



OF THE WORD IN PARTICULAR, 



Q,. 23. Who is it that makes the reading and preaching 
of the word effectual to salvation 1 

A. [The Spirit of God,] 1 Cor. ii. 11: The things of God 
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

Q,. 24. How does he make them effectual? 

A. By accompanying them with his divine power upon 
the soul, Rom. i. 16. 

Q,. 25. Of what is it that the Spirit of God makes the 
reading and preaching of the word an effectual means'? 

A. He makes them an effectual means [of convincing 
and converting sinners, and of building them up in holi- 
ness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation.] 

Q,. 26. Does the Spirit make more frequent and ordi- 
nary use of the reading, or of the preaching of the word, 
for these valuable ends ? 

A. He makes more frequent and ordinary use of the 
[preaching] of the word; and therefore there is an [es- 
pecially] prefixed to it in the answer. 

Q,. 27. How do you prove, that the preaching of the 
word is honoured as the most ordinary means 7 

A. From express scripture testimony to this purpose, 
Acts iv. 4: "Many of them which heard the word be- 
lieved;" chap. xi. 20, 21: " And some of them — spake unto 
the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of 
the Lord was with them : and a great number believed, 
and turned unto the Lord." * 

Q,. 28. May not people be more edified in reading good 
sermons at home, than in hearing from the pulpit, such as 
are not perhaps, so well digested 7 

A. If they are in health, and not necessarily detained 
from the public ordinances, they have no ground to expect 
any real and saving benefit to their souls in the neglect of 
hearing the word preached : because it pleases "God, by 
the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe," 1 
Cor. i. 21; and "faith cometh by hearing" Rom. x. 17. 

Q,. 29. What use does the Spirit make of the reading, 
but especially of the preaching of the w T ord, with reference 
to [sinners] in a natural state 1 

A. He makes use of them as an effectual means of 
[convincing and converting] them, 1 Cor. xiv. 24. Acts 
xxvi. 18. 

Q,. 30. What does the Spirit convince sinners of by the 
word 1 

A. Of their sin and misery, f 

Q,. 31. Is it by the word of the law, or the word of the 
gospel, that the Spirit convinces of sin 7 

A. It is ordinarily by the word of the law, Rom. iii. 20 : 
— " By the law is the knowledge of sin." 



* See Acts ii. 37, vi. 7. 



t Part I On Effectual Calling. 



AS MADE EFFECTUAL TO SALVATION. 



171 



Q. 32. What of sin does the Spirit convince sinners by 
the law ? 

A. Both of the nature and desert of sin. 
Q,. 33. In what consists the nature of sin? 
A. In the want of conformity to, and transgression of, 
the law of God* 
a 34. What is the desert of sin? 

A. The wrath and curse of God, both in this life and 
that which is to come.f 

Q,. 35. How does the Spirit convince men effectually, by 
the word, that they are sinners ? 

A. By convincing them, from it, that they are unbe- 
lievers, John xvi. 8, 9 : He [the Spirit] will reprove [or con- 
vince] the world of sin, because they believe not on me, 
says our Lord. 

Q,. 36. What influence has a conviction of unbelief, upon 
convincing a person that he is indeed a sinner ? 

A. Were a person once convinced, that unbelief is a 
rejection of the only method of salvation, devised in infi- 
nite wisdom, or treating of God's unspeakable gift, offered 
in the word, with the utmost contempt, he could not but 
conclude himself, on this account, to be the greatest of sin- 
ners, and that he deserved the severest of punishments, 
Heb. x. 29. 

Q,. 37. How does the Spirit make the word an effectual 
means of converting sinners? 

A. By making use of it to open their eyes, and to turn 
them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan 
to God, Acts xx vi. 18. 

Q,. 38. Do all convictions of sin issue in conversion ? 

A. Far from it : many may be very deeply convinced of 
sin by the law, and yet never have a thorough change 
wrought upon their hearts ; as in the instances of Cain, 
Judas, and others. 

Q,. 39. What is conversion ? 

A. It is the spiritual motion of the whole man toward 
God in Christ, as the immediate effect of the real and 
supernatural change, that is wrought in regeneration, Jer. 
iii. 21. 

Q,. 40. Is there any difference between conversion and 
regeneration ? 

A. They are as inseparably conjoined, as the effect is to 
its cause. Regeneration, or the formation of the new 
creature (in which we are wholly passive,) is the cause ; 
and conversion, or the motion of the soul to God, is the 
effect, which infallibly follows, Hos. vi. 2. 

Q,. 41. Cannot man be the author of his own regenera- 
tion? 



* Part I. On sin in general. 



t See above, On the desert of sin. 



172 



OF THE WORD IN PARTICULAR, 



A. No : he can neither prepare himself for it, nor co-op- 
erate with God in it. 

Q,. 42. Why can he not prepare himself for it 1 

A. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, and 
remains so until regenerating grace take place in the soul, 
Rom. viii. 7, 8. 

Q,. 43. Why cannot man co-operate with God in this 
w r ork \ 

A. Because there can be no acting, without a principle 
of action. Regeneration, being the infusing of spiritual 
life into the soul, it is impossible the creature can co-ope- 
rate or concur with God in it, any more than Lazarus in 
the grave could concur in his own resurrection, till the 
powerful voice of Christ infused life and strength into him. 

Q,. 44. What would be the consequence if man could co- 
operate with God in regeneration h 

A. The consequence would be, that God would not be 
so much the author of grace, as he is of nature ; nor have 
such a revenue of glory from the one, as from the other. 

Q,. 45. How are regeneration and conversion denomi- 
nated in scripture, to prove that God alone can be the au- 
thor of them ! 

A. They are called a creation, Eph. ii. 10, and a resur- 
rection, chap. v. 14. 

Q,. 46. Why called a creation ! 

A. Because there is nothing in the heart of man, out of 
which the new creature can be formed ; every imagina- 
tion of the thoughts of his heart being only evil continu- 
ally, Gen. vi. 5. 

Q,. 47. Why called a resurrection 1 

A. Because it is God only " who quickeneth the dead, 
and calleth things which be not, as though they were," 
Rom. iv. 17. 

Q,. 48. What influence has the word upon the conversion 

of sinners T 

A. It has no physical or natural influence of itself, but 
only as it is an instituted means, in the hand of the Spirit 
of God to that end, John vi. 63. 

Q,. 49. What is the efficacy of the word, in the work of 
conversion, compared to in scripture 3 

A. It is compared to a fire, to a hammer, Jer. xxiii. 29 ; 
to rain, Deut. xxxii. 2 ; and to light, Ps. cxix, 1Q5. 

Q,. 50. Why compared to fire 1 

A. Because as fire purifies the metal, separating the 
dross ; so the word, in the hand of the Spirit, purifies the 
heart, purging away the dross of sin and corruption that 
is there, Isa, iv. 4. 

Q,. 51. Why compared to a hammer? 

A. As a hammer breaketh the rock in pieces, (Jer. xxiii. 
29,) and thus fits it for the building ; so the Spirit of God, 



AS MADE EFFECTUAL TO SALVATION. 



173 



by the word, breaks the hard heart of man, and fits it for 
being built on the foundation God has laid in Zion, Prov. 
xvi. 1. 

Q,. 52. Why compared to rain 1 

A. Because as the rain falls irresistibly, so there is no 
withstanding the efficacy of the word in the hand of the 
Spirit, Isa. lv. 11. 

Q,. 53. Why compared to light? 

A. Because as light discovers things that were indis- 
cernible in the dark; so the Spirit, by the word, dis- 
covers the latent wickedness of the heart, 1 Cor. xiv 25, 
and the matchless glory and excellency of Christ, as 
Immanuel, God with us, John xvi. 14. 

Q,. 54. What use does the Spirit make of the reading, 
but especially the preaching of the word, with reference 
to saints, who are brought into a state of grace ] 

A. He makes use of it as an effectual means [of build- 
ing them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto 
salvation,] Acts xx. 32. Rom. xv. 4. 

Q,. 55. Is [holiness] necessary in order to our justifica- 
tion before God ] 

A. It is necessary in the justified, but not in order to 
their justification ; because this would found their justifi- 
cation upon works, contrary to Rom. iii. 20 : " By the 
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight." * 

Q,. 56. Is it necessary as the ground of our title to 
heaven 1 

A. It is necessary to clear our title ; but our title itself 
can be founded only in our union with Christ, and the im- 
putation of his righteousness, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23 : " All are 
yours, and ye are Christ's :" compared with Rom. viii. 30 
— " Whom he justified, them he also glorified." 

Q,. 57. Why are the saints said to be built up in holiness T 
A. Because the work of sanctification, like a building, 
is gradually carried on towards perfection until death, 
Prov. iv. 18. 

Q,. 58. How does the Spirit make the reading and preach- 
ing of the word, an effectual means of building up the saints 
in holiness ! 

A. By giving them, in the glass of the word, such clear 
and repeated discoveries of the glory of Christ, as to trans- 
form them more and more into the same image with him, 
2 Cor. iii. 18. 

Q,. 59. How does he, by means of these ordinances, build 
them up in [comfort?] 

A. By conveying with power to their souls, the great 
and precious promises, which contain all the grounds of 
real and lasting comfort, Gal. iii. 29, and iv. 28. 



* See Part I. On Sanctification, Quest. 45. 
15* 



174 OF THE MANNER OF READING THE WORD. 



Q,. 60. Through what instrument is it, that the Spirit 
makes these means effectual, for building up the saints in 
holiness and comfort ? 

A. It is [through faith,] 1 Thess. ii. 13. 

Q,. 61. What instrumentality has faith, in the hand of 
the Spirit, for building up the saints, in holiness and 
comfort ! 

A. It rests upon God's faithful word for the promotion of 
both, Ps. cxxxviii. 8 : " The Lord will perfect that which 
concerneth me." 

Q. 62. To what end does the Spirit, by means of the 
word, build them up in holiness, and comfort through faith ? 

A. It is unto their complete and eternal [salvation,] Rom. 
i. 16. 

Q,. 63. What may we learn from the Spirit's making the 
means effectual to salvation] 

A. That as no special blessing can be expected from 
God, in the wilful neglect of the ordinances, Prov. xxviii. 
9 ; so we may sit all our days under a pure dispensation 
of the gospel, without reaping any spiritual profit, unless 
divine supernatural agency concur, 1 Cor. iii. 6. 



Quest. 90. Hoiv is the word to be read and heard, that 
it may become effectual to salvation ? 

Ans. That the word may become effectual to salvation, 
we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and 
prayer ; receive it with faith and love ; lay it up in our 
hearts, and practise it in our lives. 

Q,. 1 What has God enjoined upon us, in order to our 
reading and hearing his word in a right manner 1 

A. That we [attend thereunto;] that we [receive it;] 
and that we [lay it up in our hearts, and practise it in our 
lives.] 

Q,. 2. What is it to [attend] to the reading and hearing 
of the word? 

A. It is to make the reading and hearing of it the main 
business of our life ; to have it mostly at heart, because 
the word contains " that good part which shall not be taken 
away," Luke x. 42. 

Q. 3. How ought we to attend to, or set about the read- 
ing and hearing of the word] 

A. [With dilfgence, preparation, and prayer.] 

Q,. 4. What do you understand by attending to the word 
[with diligence 1] 

A. A careful observing and embracing every seasonable 



OF THE MANNER OF READING THE WORD. 175 

opportunity, that may offer in providence, for reading and 
hearing the same, Prov. viii. 34. 

Q. 5. What [preparation] should we make for reading 
and hearing the word 1 

A. We should consider, that the word has the authority 
of God stamped upon it, 2 Tim. iii. 16 ; that it is he himself 
who speaks to us in it, Heb. xii. 25 ; that it is his ordinance 
for our salvation, John v. 39 ; and will be the savour either 
of life or death to us, 2 Cor. ii. 16. 

Q,. 6. Why is [prayer] requisite for reading and hearing 
the word in a right manner) 

A. Because as it is God alone, and none else, who can 
dispose our hearts for the right performance of those re- 
ligious exercises, so he ought always to be addressed and 
supplicated for that end, Ps. cxix. 18. 

Q,. 7. What should we pray for, when setting about the 
reading and hearing of the word 1 

A. That it may be "the power of God unto our salva- 
tion," Rom. i. 16; or an effectual means in his hand for 
convincing, converting, and edifying our souls, John vi. 63. 

Q,. 8. What is our immediate duty, when we are actually 
engaged in reading or hearing of the word ! 

A. Our immediate duty, in that case, is to [receive it.] 

Q,. 9. What is it to receive the word 1 

A. It is, with all readiness of mind, to take it in, as the 
dictates of the Holy Ghost to our souls, Acts xvii. 11. 

Q. 10. Why is the right improvement of the word, in 
time of reading and hearing of it, called a receiving it 1 

A. Because we can reap no real benefit to our souls, by 
the offer and exhibition of all the blessings that are brought 
nigh to us in it, unless we receive theirTas God's free gift 
to us, John iii. 27. 

Q,. 1 1. How are we to receive the word, and all the good 
that is in it ! 

A. [With faith and love.] 

Q,. 12. When is the word received [with faith,] in time 
of reading and hearing of it) 

A. When there is an application of it to the soul in par- 
ticular, in a suitableness to the state and case of the per- 
son, and the nature of the word, whether in a way of 
promise, Lam. iii. 24, or threatening, Ps. cxix. 120. 

Q,. 13. How may a person know if he receives the word 
with faith ? 

A. By the quickening, Ps. cxix. 50, enlightening, ver. 130, 
sanctifying, ver. 9, and strengthening effect of it, Dan. x. 19. 

Q,. 14. What is the native consequence of receiving the 
word with faith 7 

A. A receiving it also with [love ;] for faith worketh by 
love, Gal. v. 6. 



176 OF THE SACRAMENTS AS EFFECTUAL MEANS. 

QL 15. How may our receiving the word with love be 

discerned 1 

A. When our affections are drawn out to the blessed 
truths and objects revealed in it; so as to esteem them 
more than thousands of gold and silver, Ps. cxix. 72, or 
even than our necessary food, Job xxiii. 12. 

Q,. 16. What improvement ought we to make of the 
word after reading or hearing of It 1 

A. We should [lay it up in our hearts, and practise it in 
our lives.] 

Q,. 17. What do you understand by the heart, where the 
word should be laid up 1 

A. The soul, with all its faculties, Prov. xxiii. 26; the 
understanding, to know the word ; the will, to comply with 
it ; the affections, to love it ; and the memory, to retain it. 

Q. 18. What is implied in laying up the word in our 
hearts ! 

A. That we account it the most valuable treasure, Ps. 
cxix. 127; that we keep it with the utmost care, ver. 11; 
and that we resolve to use it in all the future exigencies of 
our souls, ver. 24. 

Q. 19. How may we know if the word is really laid up 
in our hearts 1 

A. By our delighting to meditate upon it, Ps. cxix. 97 ; 
by the Spirit's bringing it to our remembrance, John xiv. 
26 ; and by our habitual desire of farther conformity and 
subjection unto it, Ps. cxix. 5. 

Q. 20. For what end should we lay up the word in our 
hearts I 

A. That we may [practise it in our lives.] 

Q,. 21. What is it to practise the word in our lives'? 

A. It is to have a conversation becoming the gospel, Phil. i. 
27 ; or to have both the outward and inward man regula- 
ted according to the unerring rule of the word, Ps. cxix. 105. 

Q,. 22. What does the right manner of reading and 
hearing of the word teach us ! 

A. That the bare outward performance of duty will not 
be acceptable to God, unless the heart is engaged in it, Isa. 
xxix. 13. 



Quest. 91. How do the sacraments become effectual 
means of salvation ? 

Ans. The sacraments become effectual means of salva- 
tion, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth ad- 
minister them ; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the 
working of his Spirit, in them that by faith receive them. 



OP THE SACRAMENTS AS EFFECTUAL MEANS. 177 

Q,. L What is meant by [effectual means of salvation ?] 

A. Such means as, by the blessing of God, do fully at- 
tain the end for which they are appointed, 1 Thess. ii. 13. 

Q,. 2. What is the meaning of these words, in the answer 
[not from any virtue in them ?] 

A. The meaning is, that the sacraments have not any 
virtue or efficacy, in themselves, to confer salvation ; being 
only among the outward and ordinary means of grace, 
which can have no more efficacy of themselves to confer 
any saving benefit, than the rainbow, of itself, has to pre- 
vent a deluge. 

Q,. 3. Who are they who maintain, that the sacraments 
have a virtue or power, in themselves, to confer grace? 

A. The Papists, who affirm, that the sacraments of the 
New Testament are the true, proper, and immediate causes 
of grace; and that the efficacy of them flows from the 
sacramental action of receiving the external elements. 

Q,. 4. How do you prove that the sacraments have not 
any innate, or intrinsic virtue in themselves, to confer 
grace, or salvation? 

A. From this one argument, that if the sacraments had 
any such virtue, then grace, or salvation, would be infalli- 
bly connected with the external use of them : but it is ob- 
vious from scripture, that after Simon Magus was baptized, 
he remained still in the gall of bitterness, and bond of ini- 
quity, Acts viii. 13, 23. 

Q,. 5. Why is it said in the answer, that the sacraments 
become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue 
[in him that doth administer them ?] 

A. It is so said in opposition to the Papists, who main- 
tain, that the efficacy of the sacraments depends upon the 
intention of the priest ; so that any benefit by them, is con- 
ferred,^ or withheld, according to them, just as the secret 
will of the administrator would have it. 

Q,. 6. How is this error refuted ] 

A. If the efficacy of the sacraments depended upon the 
intention of the administrator, then there could be no cer- 
tainty about the efficacy of them at all ; because no mortal 
can be absolutely certain about the intention of another ; 
the secrets of the heart being known to God only, Acts 
i. 24. 

Q,. 7. From whence, then, have the sacraments their 
efficacy and virtue 1 

A. [Only] from [the blessing of Christ, and the working 
of his Spirit.] 

Q. 8. What do you understand by [the blessing of 
Christ?] 

A. That divine power and life, with which he is pleased 
to accompany the sacraments and other ordinances ; and 



178 



OF THE NATURE OF 



without which they would be utterly ineffectual, Rom. 
i. 16. 

Q,. 9. What is [the working of his Spirit,] which is ne- 
cessary to make the sacraments effectual means of salva- 
tion ? 

A. Not only the planting of grace in the soul at first, but 
the drawing of it out into suitable exercise on all sacra- 
mental occasions, Zech. iv. 6. 

Q,. 10. Why is the working of the Spirit necessary to 
the efficacy of the sacraments 1 

A. Because we are utterly impotent of ourselves for 
any thing that is spiritually good, John xv. 5. 

Q. 11. In whom are the sacraments [by the blessing of 
Christ, and the working of his Spirit,] effectual means of 
salvation ? 

A. [In them that by faith receive them.] 

Q,. 12. What is it to [receive] the sacraments [by faith 1] 

A. It is to apply Christ, and the benefits of his purchase, 
as represented, and exhibited to us in them, Luke xxii. 
19, 20. 

&. 13. What may we learn from the necessity of Christ's 
blessing, and of the Spirit's working, in order to the effi- 
cacy of the sacraments ] 

A. It teaches us, that our whole dependence for the 
blessing, whether upon ourselves, when we partake of the 
sacrament of the supper, or upon our children, when we 
are sponsors for them in baptism, should be only on Christ 
alone, and the saving influences and operations of his Spi- 
rit, held forth in the promise, to accompany his own insti- 
tutions ; and therefore our partaking of these solemn ordi- 
nances, dispensed by some ministers, to the slighting of 
them as dispensed by others, equally sound and faithful, 
though perhaps in our esteem somewhat inferior in out- 
ward gifts, says upon the matter, that the efficacy of the 
sacraments depends, somehow, upon the administrator, 
and not upon the blessing of Christ alone : quite contrary 
to the mind of the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. in. 7: " So, then, 
neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that water- 
eth ; but God that giveth the increase." 



Quest. 92. What is a sacrament ? 

Ans. A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by 
Christ, wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the be- 
nefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and 
applied to believers. 



SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL. 



179 



Q. L From whence is the word [sacrament] derived? 

A. It is of Latin origin, being anciently used, by the Ro- 
mans, to signify their military oath ; or that oath which 
their soldiers took to be true and faithful to their prince, 
and that they would not desert his standard. 

Q,. 2. How is it used by the church ? 

A. Not only to signify something that is sacred, but 
likewise a solemn engagement to be the Lord's. 

Q. 3. What is the general nature of a sacrament ? 

A. It is [a holy ordinance, instituted by Christ.] 

Q,. 4. Why is a sacrament called [a holy ordinance?] 

A. Because it is appointed not only for holy ends and 
uses, but likewise for persons federally holy. 

Q,. 5. Is it necessary that a sacrament be [instituted by 
Christ ?] 

A. Yes : it is essentially necessary that it have his ex- 
press and immediate warrant and institution,, otherwise it 
does not deserve the name, 1 Cor. xi. 23: "For I have 
received of the Lord, that which also I delivered unto 
you," &c. 

Q,. 6. Why must sacraments be expressly or immedi- 
ately instituted by Christ? 

A. Because he alone is the head of the church ; and has 
the sole power and authority to institute sacraments and 
other ordinances in it, Eph. i. 22, 23. 

Q,. 7. " What are the parts of a sacrament ?" 

A. " Two; the one, an outward and sensible sign, used 
according to Christ's own appointment ; the other, an in- 
ward and spiritual grace, thereby signified, Matt. hi. 11. 1 
Pet. iii. 21."* 

Q,. 8. What are the outward [signs] in sacraments ? 

A. They are the sacramental elements, and the sacra- 
mental actions; but chiefly the elements, because it is 
about these that the sacramental actions are exercised. 

Q,. 9. Why called [sensible] signs ? 

A. Because they are obvious to the outward senses of 
seeing, tasting, feeling, &c. 

Q,. 10. What kind of signs are sensible signs in a sacra- 
ment ? 

A. They are not natural, nor merely speculative, but 
voluntary and practical signs. 

Q. 11. Why are they not natural signs? 

A. Because natural signs always signify the self-same 
thing, as smoke is always a sign of fire, and the morning 
light a sign of the approaching sun ; whereas the signs in 
a sacrament never signify what they represent in that 
holy ordinance, but when sacramentally used. 

Q. 12. Why are they practical, and not merely specu- 
lative signs ? 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 163. 



180 



OF THE NATURE OF 



A. Because they are designed not only to represent the 
spiritual grace signified by them ; but likewise to seal and 
apply the same. 

Q,. 13. Why are the signs in a sacrament called voAm- 
tary signs ] 

A. Because they depend entirely upon the divine insti- 
tution to make them signs ; yet so as there is some analo- 
gy or resemblance between the sign and the thing signified. 

Q,. 14. When are sacramental signs used according to 
Christ's own appointment] 

A. When they are dispensed with the words of institu- 
tion annexed to them, Matt, xxviii. 19. ] Cor. xi. 23 — 25. 

Q,. 15. What do the words of institution imply or con- 
tain in them ] 

A. They contain, " together with a precept authorizing 
the use" of them, " a promise of benefit to the worthy re- 
ceivers, Matt, xxviii. 20." * 

Q. 16. What is the inward and spiritual grace signified 
by the sensible signs in a sacrament 1 

A. [Christ and the benefits of the new covenant.] 

Q,. 17. W r hy is the covenant of grace called [the new 
covenant ?] 

A. Because it is always to remain in its prime and vig- 
our, without the least change or alteration ; for that which 
decayeth and waxeth old, is ready to vanish away, Heb. 
viii. 13. 

Q,. 18. What are the [benefits] of the new covenant ? 

A. They are ah the blessings contained in the promises 
of it, which may be summed up in grace here, and glory 
hereafter, Ps. lxxxiv. 11. 

Q. 19. Are Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, 
separable from one another ] 

A. No ; for, "he that hath the Son, hath life," 1 John v. 
12; whoever has Christ, has all things along with him; 
" all are yours, and ye are Christ's," 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. 

Q. 20. What is the intention and design of sensible signs 
in a sacrament, with reference to Christ and the benefits 
of the new covenant] 

A. The design of them is, that Christ and his benefits 
may be [represented, sealed, and applied] by them. 

Q,. 21. Why are Christ and his benefits said to be repre- 
sented by the signs in a sacrament ! 

A- Because as sacramental signs are of divine institu- 
tion, so there is a resemblance or similitude between the 
signs and the things signified. 

Q,. 22. Why are Christ and his benefits said to be sealed 
by these signs'? 

A. Because, by the sacramental signs, Christ and his 



* Confession of Faith, chap, xxvii. $ 3. 



SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL. 



181 



benefits are confirmed to the believer, even as a seal is a 
confirmation of a bond or deed, Rom. iv. 11. 
Q. 23. Why said to be applied ! 

A. Because, by the right and lawful use of the sacra- 
mental signs, Christ and his benefits are really communi- 
cated, conveyed, and made over to the worthy receiver, 1 
Cor. xi. 24 : " Take, eat ; this is my body, which is broken 
for you." 

Q,. 24. To whom do the sacramental signs represent, 
seal, and apply Christ and his benefits ? 
A. Not to all who use them, but to [believers] only. 
Q. 25. Why to believers only? 

A. Because nothing but true faith can discern, and apply 
the spiritual grace, which is represented and exhibited by 
sensible signs in the sacrament, Gal. iii. 26, 27. 

Q,. 26. In what consists the form of a sacrament ? 

A. In " a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, be- 
tween the sign and the thing signified." * 

Q. 27. What is the consequence of this sacramental 
union between the sign and the thing signified ? 

A. The consequence is, " that the names and effects of 
the one are attributed to the other." f Thus Christ is called 
our passover, 1 Cor. v. 7 ; and the bread in the supper is 
called Christ's body — " This is my body," 1 Cor. xi. 24. 

Q,. 28. When are the . signs, and the things signified, 
united, in those who partake of the sacraments 1 

A. When, together with the signs, (in virtue of Christ's 
institution) the blessings signified are received by faith, 
Gal. iii. 27. 

Q,. 29. How may this be illustrated by an example? 

A. A little earth and stone put into a man's hand at 
random, signify nothing ; but when this is done in a regu- 
lar manner, according to the forms of law, to give a pro- 
prietor possession of his lands, from whence these symbols 
were taken, it is of great importance to corroborate his 
right: so bread and Vine in the sacrament, are of little 
value in themselves abstractly considered ; yet when re- 
ceived in faith, as the instituted memorials of the death of 
Christ, by which his testament was ratified and sealed, the 
believer's right to all the blessings of his purchase is by it 
most comfortably confirmed, 1 Cor. xi. 24 : " This is my 
body, which is broken for you." 

Q,. 30. Are the sacraments necessary for the confirma- 
tion of the word ? 

A. No ; the word being of divine and infallible authority, 
needs no confirmation without itself : but they are neces- 
sary on our account, for helping our infirmity, and con- 
firming and strengthening our faith, Rom. iv. 11. 



* Confession of Faith, chap, xxvii. $ 2. 
Part 11—16 



tlbid. 



182 



OF THE NUMBER OF THE SACRAMENTS. 



Q. 31. What is the difference between the word and the 

sacraments 1 

A. The word may be profitable to the adult, without the 
sacraments ; but the sacraments cannot profit them with- 
out the word, Gal. v. 6. 

Q,. 32. What is the end of the sacraments] 

A. It is "to represent Christ and his benefits; and to 
confirm our interest in him : as also to put a visible differ- 
ence between those that belong unto the church, and the 
rest of the world; and solemnly to engage them to the 
service of God in Christ, according to his word."* 

Q,. 33. Who are they that have a right to the sacra- 
ments 1 

A. They " that are within the covenant of grace, Rom. 
xv. 8." f 

Q. 34. Who are to be reckoned within the covenant of 
grace, in the sight of men 1 

A. They who " profess their faith in Christ, and obedi- 
ence to him, Acts ii. 38 ;" and " infants descending from 
parents, either both or but one of them professing faith in 
Christ, and obedience to him, are, in that respect, within 
the covenant, Rom. xi. 16." J 

Q,. 35. What may we learn from the nature of the sa- 
craments in general 1 

A. The amazing love of the Lord Jesus, in giving us not 
only the word as the instrument in the hand of the Spirit, 
for begetting faith, and all other graces, Eph. i. 13; but 
likewise the sacraments for strengthening and increasing 
the same, as well as for cherishing our love and commu- 
nion with one another, 1 Cor. xii. 13. 



Quest. 93. What are the sacraments of the New Tes- 
tament ? 

Ans. The sacraments of the New Testament are, bap- 
tism and the Lord's supper. 

Q,. 1. What were the ordinary sacraments under the 
Old Testament ? 

A. They were two : circumcision and the passover. 

Q. 2. When was circumcision first instituted ! 

A. In the ninety-ninth year of Abraham's age, Gen. xvii. 
24 ; at which time, both he, and all the men of his house, 
were circumcised, verse 26, 27. 



* Confession of Faith, chap, xxvii. § 1. 
t Larger Catechism, Question 162. 



% Ibid. Q, 166. 



OF THE NUMBER OF THE SACRAMENTS. 183 

Q,. 3. At what age were the male children afterwards to 
be circumcised 1 

A. Precisely on the eighth day after they were born, 
Gen. xvii. 12. 

Q,. 4. What was the spiritual meaning of this sacra- 
mental ceremony 1 

A. It signified the impurity and corruption of nature, 
Jer. iv. 4 ; the necessity of regeneration, or being cut off 
from the first Adam, as a federal head, Rom. ii. 28, 29 ; and 
of being implanted in Christ, in order to partake of the 
benefits of his mediation, chap. viii. 1 ; together with a 
solemn virtual engagement to be the Lord's, Gen. xvii. 11. 

Q,. 5. What was the other sacrament of the Old Testa- 
ment 1 

A. The passover. 

Q,. 6. When was it instituted 1 

A. At the departure of the children of Israel out of 
Egypt, Ex. chapter xii. 
Q,. 7. Why called the passover 1 

A. Because the destroying angel passed over the houses 
of the Israelites, in the night when he smote the first-born 
with death, in every house or family of the Egyptians, Ex. 
xii. 27. 

Q,. 8. On what account did the angel pass over the 
houses of the Israelites 1 

A. Because, according to the express command of God, 
the blood of the passover-lamb was stricken upon the lin- 
tels and side posts of their doors, as a signal to the de- 
stroying angel to pass over them, Ex. xii. 22, 23. 

Q,. 9. What was meant by striking the blood upon their 
lintels and door posts ? 

A. It signified, that it is only in virtue of the blood 
or satisfaction of Christ, that the curse and sentence of the 
law (which is the wrath of God) is not executed upon the 
sinner, Rom. v. 9. 

Q,. 10. What were the significant ceremonies of divine 
institution that were to be observed in this sacrament ? 

A. The passover-lamb was to be without blemish, Ex. 
xii. 5 ; it was to be slain, verse 6 ; it was to be roasted with 
fire, verse 9 ; and it was to be eaten, and that wholly and 
entirely, verse 10. 

Q,. 11. Why was it necessary that the passover-lamb 
should be without blemish] 

A. To signify, that though our sins were imputed to 
Christ, yet he was in himself holy, harmless, undefiled, 
Heb. vii. 26 ; and therefore called a Lamb without blemish 
and without spot, 1 Pet. i. 19. 

Q,. 12. Why must the lamb be slain, or killed by blood 
shedding 1 

A. To denote, that the death of Christ was necessary, 



184 OF THE NUMBER OF THE SACRAMENTS. 

for satisfying justice, and reconciling us to God, Luke 
xxiv. 26: "Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things i* 

Q,. 13. Why was it to be roasted with fire? 

A. To intimate, that Christ's sufferings, as our Surety, 
were exquisitely and inconceivably great, without the 
least abatement of any of that wrath which was due to 
our sins, Isa. liii. 10 : 44 It pleased the Lord to bruise him ;" 
Rom. viii. 32, " God spared not his own Son." 

Q. 14. Why was it to be eaten wholly and entirely, and 
none of it to be left ? 

A. To signify, that Christ was to be wholly applied, in 
a way of believing, as being, " of God, made unto us wis- 
dom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemp- 
tion," 1 Cor. i. 30. 

Q,. 15. Why were all the families of Israel to eat the 
passover, at one and the same time 1 Ex. xii. 8. 

A. To signify that there is enough in Christ to satisfy 
the need of all his people at once ; " for in him dwelleth all 
the fulness of the Godhead bodily," Col. ii. 9. 

Q,. 16. Why was it to be eaten the very same evening 
in which it was slain ? ver. 6, 8. 

A. To signify, that Christ ought to be applied and 
appropriated by faith speedily, without delay: Behold, 
noiv is the accepted time, 2 Cor. vi. 2. 

Q,. 17. " How many sacraments hath Christ instituted 
in his church under the New Testament? 

A. " Under the New Testament, Christ hath instituted 
in his church only two sacraments ; baptism and the Lord's 
supper." * 

Q,. 18. How do these two sacraments come in the place 
of those under the Old Testament ) 

A. Baptism comes in the place of circumcision ; and the 
Lord's supper in the place of the passover. 

Q,. 19. Were the sacraments of the Old Testament no 
more than shadows of that grace, which is actually con- 
ferred by the sacraments under the New, as the Papists 
would have it ) 

A. By no means ; for " the sacraments of the Old Testa- 
ment, in regard of the spiritual things thereby signified 
and exhibited, were, for substance, the same with those of 
the New, 1 Cor. x. 1—5." f 

Q. 20. In what do they differ } 

A. The sacraments of the Old Testament represented 
Christ as yet to come ; whereas those of the New hold him 
forth as already come, and as having finished the work of 
our redemption, as to the purchase of it, Eph. v. 2. 

Q. 21. Is there any difference between them as to clear- 
ness and perspicuity 7 ? 

* Larger Catechism, Q. 164. t Confession of Faith, chap, xxvii. § 5. 



OF THE NATURE OF BAPTISM. 



185 



A. The words annexed to the outward signs in the 
sacraments of the New Testament, make the things signi- 
fied appear vastly more plain and perspicuous, than in the 
sacraments of the Old. 

Q,. 22. What other sacraments do the Papists add to 
baptism and the Lord's supper } 

A. They boldly venture to add other five ; namely, con- 
firmation, penance, orders, marriage, and extreme unction. 

Q,. 23. How may it appear, in a word, that all these are 
false and spurious sacraments ] 

A. In regard that none of them have sacramental signs 
of divine institution, signifying any inward and spiritual 
grace ; and, consequently, none of them can be appointed 
seals of God's covenant. 

Q, 24. Who may lawfully dispense the sacraments of 
the New Testament 1 

A. " Neither of them may be dispensed by any, but a 
minister of the word, lawfully ordained, 1 Cor. iv. 1." * 



Quest. 94. What is baptism ? 

Ans. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with 
water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into 
Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of 
grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's. 

Q,. 1. What is the proper signification of the word 
[baptism 1] 

A. It is of Greek origin, and properly signifies a washing, 
sprinkling, or pouring out, in order to cleansing, Mark. i. 
8r "I indeed baptize^you with water, but he shall baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost ;" that is, he shall pour his Spirit 
upon you, according to the promise, Isa. xliv. 3 : " I will 
pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon 
thine offspring." 

Q,. 2. Who is the author of baptism? 

A. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator and Head of 
the church. 

Q,. 3. When did he institute and appoint it, as a sacra- 
ment of the New Testament ] 

A. A little before his ascension into heaven, when he 
gave his apostles that solemn charge, Matt, xxviii. 19: 
" Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in 



* Confession of Faith, chap, xxvii. $ 5. 
16* 



186 



OF THE NATURE OF BAPTISM. 



the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." 

Q,. 4. Was not baptism used before that time] 

A. It was used long before by the Jews, in receiving 

their proselytes, but not by divine institution. 

Q. 5. When came baptism to have a divine warrant and 

institution ! 

A. When God sent John the Baptist to baptize with 
water, John i. 33. 

Q,. 6. W r as there any difference between the baptism of 
John, and the baptism dispensed by the apostles after 
Christ's ascension ] 

A. There was no essential difference between them ; 
for both of them had the same visible sign, and the same 
blessings signified by it. The difference was only circum- 
stantial, in respect of time, and the objects of administration. 

Q,. 7. How did they differ in respect of time ] 

A. The baptism of John was dispensed before Christ 
had finished the work which his Father gave him to do ; 
but the baptism of the apostles was mostly after Christ 
had suffered, and had entered into his glory. 

Q,. 8. How did they differ as to the objects of administra- 
tion'? 

A. The baptism of John was confined to Judea only; 
but the baptism of the apostles extended to all nations, to 
whom the gospel was preached, Matt, xxviii. 19. 

Q. 9. Why did Christ, who had no need of it, conde- 
scend to be baptized by John 1 

A. He gives the reason himself; It becometh us, says 
he, to fulfil all righteousness, Matt. iii. 15. 

Q,. 10. Did Christ himself baptize any] 

A. No : " Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples," 
John iv. 2. 

Q. 11. Why did not Christ baptize any himself? 

A. That he might commend the ministry of men of like 
passions with ourselves ; and to show that the efficacy of 
the ordinance did not depend upon the administrator, but 
upon the divine blessing ; even as the words spoken by 
him on earth, when they were efficacious, were so, not 
merely as spoken or uttered from his lips, but as accom- 
panied with his own almighty power, Luke v. 17. 

Q,. 12. What is the visible sign, or out ward element in 
baptism ] 

A. Only [water,] pure and unmixed, Acts x. 47. 

Q,. 13. How is water to be applied to the body in baptism ? 

A. " Dipping of the person into the water is not neces- 
sary, but baptism is rightly administered by pouring or 
sprinkling water upon the person." * 

* Confession of Faith, chap, xxviii. § 3. 



OF THE NATURE OF BAPTISM. 



187 



Q,. 14. How does it appear from scripture, that baptism 
is rightly administered by pouring or sprinkling water 
upon the person? 

A. From repeated instances of the administration of 
baptism by the apostles in this manner ; particularly when 
three thousand were baptized by them, Acts ii. 41, water 
must have been sprinkled upon them, as the apostles could 
not have time, in a part only of one day, to take them one 
by one, and plunge them into it. Nor is it probable that 
the jailor, Acts xvi. 33, had such store of water, in the 
night season, as was sufficient for himself and whole family 
to be dipped into ; or that they went abroad in quest of 
some river for that purpose ; it is much more reasonable 
to infer, that in both the above instances, they were bap- 
tized by sprinkling. The same may be said of Paul's bap- 
tism, Acts ix. 18; and of the baptism of Cornelius and his 
friends, Acts x. 47, 48. 

Q,. 15. Why is it most expedient to sprinkle water upon 
the face in baptism 1 

A. Because the face is the principal part of the body, 
and the whole person is represented by it, Ex. x. 29. 

Q,. 16. What is signified by water in baptism] 

A. The cleansing" virtue of the blood of Christ, Rev. i. 
5, and Spirit of Christ, Tit. iii. 5. 

Q,. 17. What is the difference between cleansing by the 
blood, and cleansing by the Spirit, of Christ 7 

A. The blood of Christ cleanseth meritoriously, 1 John 
i. 7 ; the Spirit of Christ efficaciously, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. By 
the former, the guilt of sin is, at once, taken away in jus- 
tification ; by the latter, the blot and stain of it is gradu- 
ally carried off in sanctification. 

Q,. 18. What is signified by sprinkling of water upon 
the body ? 

A. The application of the blood of Christ to the soul, by 
the Spirit of God, Tit. iii. 5, 6. 

Q. 19. What is the analogy, or resemblance, between 
the sign in baptism, and the thing signified 1 

A. Water makes clean, what before was foul ; so the 
blood and Spirit of Christ purify from the guilt and pollu- 
tion of sin, Zech. xiii. 1: water is open and free to all ; so 
Christ and his benefits are freely offered to all the hearers 
of the gospel, Rev. xxii. 17. 

Q,. 20. In whose name are we baptized 1 

A. [In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost,] Matt, xxviii. 19. 

Q,. 21. What is it to be baptized in the name of the Fa- 
ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost 7 

A. It is not only to be baptized by the will, command, 
and authority of the Three-one God ; but likewise to be, 
by baptism, solemnly dedicated and devoted to the Father, 



188 



OF THE NATURE OF BAPTISM. 



the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as our God and portion for 
ever, Isa. xliv. 5. 

Q,. 22. What is it to be baptized by the command and 
authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 1 

A. It intimates that the Trinity of persons do not only 
authorize and appoint baptism to be a sacrament of the 
New Testament; but that they become jointly engaged to 
make good all the blessings of the covenant, signified and 
sealed by that ordinance, Jer. xxxi. 33: "I will be their 
God, and they shall be my people." 

Q,. 23. What is included in our being, by baptism, sol- 
emnly dedicated and devoted to the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, as our God and portion for ever ! 

A. It includes a solemn profession, that these three 
adorable persons have the sole right to all our religious 
worship, Ps. v. 7 ; that all our hope of salvation is from 
them, Ps. lxii. 1, 5, and that we should be wholly and for 
ever the Lord's, Ps. xlviii. 14. 

Q,. 24. Is it necessary that baptism be dispensed in these 
express words, " In the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost ?" 

A. Yes; because ministers are peremptorily commanded 
by Christ, to baptize in this very form, Matt, xxviii. 19 : "Go 
ye, therefore, and teach all nations ; baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." 

Q,. 25. Did not the apostles baptize in another form, 
when they baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus f Acts 
viii 16. 

A. It is not to be supposed, that the apostles would alter 
the form, so expressly delivered to them by their glorious 
Master; and therefore, when any are said to be baptized 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, it is not designed by this 
to notify to us in what form of words they w r ere baptized ; 
but only that they were baptized by the authority of Christ, 
who appointed this sacrament ; and to faith in him, and 
communion with him. 

Q,. 26. How ought the mentioning of the holy Trinity to 
be introduced in baptism 1 

A. It is proper that it be introduced by words in the 
first person, expressing the present act of administration ; 
and likewise setting forth the authority that a minister, 
lawfully called, has to dispense this sacrament ; such as, 
"I baptize thee, in the name," &c* 

Q,. 27. What are the ends and uses of baptism? 

A. They are to [signify and seal our ingrafting into 
Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of 
grace.] 



* See the Directory for Public Worship, on the head of Baptism. 



OF THE NATURE OF BAPTISM. 



J 89 



Q,. 28. What is it to signify and seal [our ingrafting into 
Christ ?] 

A. It is to signify and seal our union with him, and con- 
sequently the imputation of his righteousness to us, Gal. 
iii. 27 : " As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, 
have put on Christ." 

Q,. 29. What are the [benefits of the covenant of grace,] 
the partaking of which is signified and sealed in baptism ) 

A. They are " remission of sins by the blood of Christ ; 
regeneration by his Spirit, adoption, and resurrection unto 
everlasting life." * 

Q,. 30. What is the consequence of its being signified 
and sealed to us in baptism, that we partake of such great 
and glorious benefits ? 

A. The consequence is, that on this account " we enter 
into an open and professed engagement to be — the 
Lord's." f 

Q,. 31. What is included in our engagement to be the 
Lord's ! 

A. That we shall be his " wholly and only." J 

Q. 32. What is it to be his wholly ? 

A. It is to be his, in all that we are, soul, spirit, and 
body, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20; and in all that we have, whether 
gifts, graces, or worldly comforts, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. 

Q. 33. What is it to be the Lord's only 1 

A. It is to be his in opposition to all his rivals and com- 
petitors, every one of whom we profess to renounce in 
baptism, Hos. xiv. 8. 

Q,. 34. Who are these rivals and competitors with God, 
whom we profess to renounce in baptism 1 

A. They are sin, Rom. vi. 6, Satan, Acts xxvi. 18, and 
the world, John xvii. 14. 

Q,. 35. Does baptism make or constitute persons church- 
members? 

A. No : they are supposed to be church-members before 
they are baptized, and if they are children of professing 
parents, they are born members of the visible church, 1 
Cor. vii. 14. 

Q,. 36. Why must they be church-members before they 
are baptized ] 

A. Because the seals of the covenant can never be ap- 
plied to any, but such as are supposed to be in the cove- 
nant ; nor can the privileges of the church be confirmed to 
any that are without the church. 

Q,. 37. Why then do our Confession,} and Larger Cate- 
chism,|| say that " the parties baptized are solemnly ad- 
mitted into the visible church T' 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 163. See all these explained, Part I. On 
justification, sanctification, adoption, and resurrection, 
t Larger Catechism, Q. 165. t Ibid. § Chap, xxviii. § 3. 

11 Larger Catechism, Q. 165. 



190 



OF THE NATURE OF BAPTISM. 



A. Because there is a vast difference between making a 
person a church-member, who was none before ; and the 
solemnity of the admission of one, who is already a mem- 
ber. All that our Confession and Catechism affirm, is, 
that, by baptism, we are solemnly admitted into the visible 
church ; that is, by baptism we are publicly declared to be 
church-members before, and thus have our membership 
solemnly sealed to us : " For by one Spirit we are all bap- 
tized into .one body," 1 Cor. xii. 13. 

Q,. 38. Is it warrantable to call the baptizing of any, the 
Christening of them 1 

A. No : because this is an encouraging of the supersti- 
tious Popish notion, that baptism makes even those who 
are born within the visible church, to become Christians ; 
and that by the want of it, they remain infidels, and are 
left to uncovenanted mercy. 

Q,. 39. What are the extremes about the necessity of 
baptism 1 

A. The Socinians and Quakers deny that it is necessary 
at all ; on the other hand, the Papists, and some others, 
maintain that it is so absolutely necessary, that no salva- 
tion can be expected without it. 

Q,. 40. What is the doctrine of our Confession of Faith, 
on this head 3 

A. That " although it be a great sin to contemn or ne- 
glect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so in- 
separably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regen- 
erated and saved without it ; or that all who are baptized 
are undoubtedly regenerated." * 

Q. 41. In what consists the greatness of the sin of con- 
temning and slighting this ordinance] 

A. It consists in despising an express and positive insti- 
tution of Christ, appointed to be administered in his church 
to the end of the world, Matt, xxviii. 19, 20; and in slight- 
ing all the great and glorious benefits and privileges signi- 
fied and sealed by it, Luke vii. 30. 

Q.. 42. How does it appear that grace and salvation are 
not inseparably annexed to baptism I 

A. From the instance of Abraham, who had the right- 
eousness of faith before he was circumcised, Rom. iv. 11; 
of Cornelius, who feared God, and was accepted of him, 
before he was baptized, Acts x. 2, 4 ; and from the instance 
of the thief on the cross, who was saved without being 
baptized at all, Luke xxiii. 43. 

Q,. 43. How does the scripture evince, that all who are 
baptized are not regenerated and saved 1 

A. From the instance of Simon Magus, who was bap- 
tized, and yet, after baptism, remained in the gall of bitter- 
ness, and in the bond of iniquity,! Acts viii. 13, 23. 



* Confession of Faith, chap, xxviii. $ 5. 



t Ibid. 



OF THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 



191 



Q,. 44. Does baptism give a right to covenant-blessings ; 
or, is it only a declarative sign and seal of them'? 

A. It is only a declarative sign and seal of them, as cir- 
cumcision was, Rom. iv. 11. 

Q,. 45. What, then, gives a right 1 

A. The promise of the covenant, which is endorsed to 
the children, as well as to the parents, Acts ii. 39 : " The 
promise is unto you, and to your children." 

Q,. 46. Is baptism designed to make the covenant more 
sure, or our faith stronger ? 

A. It is designed only to make our faith stronger ; for 
the sureness of the covenant flows from the faithfulness of 
God, which is inviolable and unchangeable, Ps. lxxxix. 33, 
34. Isa. liv. 10. 

Q,. 47. In what consists the efficacy of baptism ? 

A. It consists in sealing and ratifying the right to cove- 
nant blessings, which persons have from the ^promise, so 
infallibly, that they shall certainly be put in possession of 
them, Eph. v. 25, 26. For, according to the doctrine of 
our Confession, " the grace promised is not only offered, 
but really exhibited and conferred, by the Holy Ghost, to 
such (whether of age, or infants,) as that grace belongeth 
unto, according to the counsel of God's own will, in his 
appointed time." * 

Q. 48. Is baptism efficacious at the time of its adminis- 
tration ! 

A. Not always : " the efficacy of baptism is not tied to 
that moment of time wherein it is administered," f but 
may take place afterwards, as God in his sovereignty has 
fixed it ; for the wind bloweth where it listeth, &c. John 
iii. 8. 

Q,. 49. What may we learn from the nature of baptism ! 

A. The infinite goodness of God, in appointing an initi- 
ating ordinance, irreversibly sealing all the blessings of 
the covenant to the elect seed, Gen. xvii. 7. 



Quest. 95. To ivhom is baptism to be administered 1 
Ans. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are 
out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in 
Christ, and obedience to him : but the infants of such as 
are members of the visible church are to be baptized. 

Q,. 1. Who may administer the sacrament of baptism? 
A. Neither of the two sacraments "may be dispensed 
by any, but by a minister of the word, lawfully ordained."J 

* Confession of Faith, chap, xxviii. % 6. t Ibid. X Ibid. chap, xxvii. % 4. 



192 



OF THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 



Q,. % How do you prove, that ordination by presbyters 
is lawful and valid, without a diocesan bishop J 

A. From express scripture testimony, asserting the va- 
lidity of ordination to the ministry, by the laying on of the 
hands of the Presbytery, 1 Tim. iv. 14. 

Q,. 3. Why should ministers lawfully ordained, and no 
other persons whatsoever, dispense the sacraments of the 
New Testament 1 

A. Because they only are the stewards of the mysteries 
of God, 1 Cor. iv. 1 ; and have the sole commission and 
authority from Christ to preach and baptize, Matt, xxviii. 
19: Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 
them, &c. 

Q. 4. Is public prayer requisite before the administration 

of baptism \ 

A. It is evident, that our Lord, at the first institution of 
the supper, and his apostles, afterwards, according to his 
example, prayed for the divine blessing to attend the dis- 
pensation of that solemn ordinance, 1 Cor. xi. 24; and 
therefore, by parity of reasoning, ministers ought to pray, 
and the people to join in it, for the same blessing upon the 
administration of the sacrament of baptism. 

Q,. 5. Ought not teaching, or preaching of the word, to 
go before baptism 1 

A. Yes ; because our Lord has joined them together, 
Matt, xxviii. 19: "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, 
baptizing them," &c. And accordingly it was the uniform 
practice of the apostles to preach when they baptized, 
Acts ii. 38, 41; viii. 35, 38, and xvi. 32, 33. 

Q,. 6. Is naming of children necessary at baptism ! 

A. No; baptism dispensed by sprinkling of water, to- 
gether with the words of institution, is every way valid 
and complete, though the person baptized is not named 
at all. 

Q,. 7. But was not the naming of children, at circumcis- 
ion, an ancient practice among the Jews? Luke i. 59. 

A. It was so ; and the names of children may be pub- 
lished at baptism still, provided it is not looked upon as 
essential to that solemn ordinance; for it is the parent, 
and not the minister, who gives the name. 

Q,. 8. May baptism be administered in private 1 

A. It is more agreeable to the nature of this ordinance, 
when the Lord gives his people peace and opportunity for 
their public assemblies, that it be administered wherever 
the congregation is orderly called together, to wait on the 
dispensing of the word, Acts ii. 41.* 

Q. 9. What if the child should be removed by death . 
before such a regular opportunity can be had 1 



* See Act X. Assembly, 1G90. 



OF THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 



193 



A. Then the parents may comfort themselves in this, 
that they were neither guilty of an unnecessary delay, nor 
of contemning the ordinance ; and that, in these circum- 
stances, the want of it cannot harm the child, 2 Sam. xii 
18, 23. 

Q,. 10. With what frame and disposition of mind ought 
this sacrament to be dispensed and witnessed ? 

A. With a firm persuasion that it is an ordinance of 
God ; with a filial and reverential fear of him on our spi- 
rits ; and with gratitude and thankfulness for the inesti- 
mable benefits that are signified and sealed in it. 

Q,. 11. How often is baptism to be administered co any 
person ? 

A. But once only, Acts xix. 4, 5. 
Q,. 12. Why but once only] 

A. Because when our ingrafting into Christ (which is the 
comprehensive benefit signified and sealed in baptism) 
once takes place, it is never repeated, but remains firm 
and inviolable for ever, John xvii. 23. 

Q,. 13. To whom is baptism not to be administered? 

A. [Baptism is not to be administered to any that sly: 
out of the visible church.] 

Q. 14. Whom do you understand by those [that are o it 
of the visible church?] 

A. AH infidels, or such as are Jews, or Heathens, and 
their children. 

Q,. 15. Why may not these be baptized? 

A. Because being strangers from the covenant of pro- 
mise, they can have no right to the seals of it, Eph. ii. 12. 

Q,. 16. May infidels in no event be baptized? 

A. Yes, they may, so soon as [they profess their faith in 
Christ, and obedience to him.] 

Q. 17. What is it to [profess faith in Christ ?] 

A. It is to profess a belief of the whole doctrines of the 
Christian religion, Acts viii. 37. 

Q,. 18. What is it to profess [obedience to him?] 

A. It is to yield an external subjection to all the ordi- 
nances and institutions of Christ, Acts ii. 46. 

Q. 19. Whom does such a profession respect? 

A. It respects only the adult, or such as are grown up 
to ripeness of age. 

Q,. 20. Have not infants (who can make no such pro- 
fession) a right to baptism ? 

A. Yes: [The infants of such as are members of the 
visible church are to be baptized.] 

Q. 21. Who are [the members of the visible church ?] 

A. They " are all such as profess the true religion, and 
their children." * 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 62. 

Part II.— 17 



104 



OF THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 



Q,. 22. What are we to understand by the true religion? 

A. We are to understand by it the whole of those doc- 
trines deduced from the holy scriptures, which are con- 
tained in our Confession of Faith, and Catechisms, as 
agreeing, in the main, with the Confessions of other re- 
formed churches, 2 Tim. i. 13: "Hold fast the form of 
sound words." 

Q,. 23. What is it to profess the true religion ? 

A. It is openly to acknowledge, on all proper occasions, 
a steadfast adherence to the whole of divine truth, without 
espousing or countenancing any opposite error, Ps. cxix. 
1, 5. Rom. x. 10. 

Q,. 24. Is a bare profession of the true religion sufficient? 

A. No ; for " faith without works is dead." James ii. 26. 

Q,. 25. Upon what ground have the infants of such as 
are members of the visible church a right to baptism 1 

A. Upon the ground of the grace and goodness of God 
in the promise, including them in the same covenant with 
their parents ; as in the promise made to Abraham, Gen. 
xvii. 7: " I will establish my covenant between me and 
thee, and thy seed after thee — to be a God unto thee, and 
to thy seed after thee." 

Q. 26. But what if this promise of including the seed in 
the same covenant with the parents have a respect only to 
the natural offspring of Abraham, and to none else ? 

A. The apostle Peter plainly affirms, that it is a promise 
of the covenant of grace, extending to the Gentiles, as well 
as to the Jews ; and, at the same time, that it is the foun- 
dation of church-membership, and consequently, of bap- 
tism, when he says, Acts ii. 38, 39, " Repent, and be bap- 
tized, every one of you ; — for the promise is unto you, and 
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many 
as the Lord our God shall call." 

Q,. 27. How does it appear from the text, that the pro- 
mise of assuming the children into the same covenant with 
their parents, extends to the Gentile nations? 

A. Because the apostle says, that the promise is unto 
" all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call ;" namely, by the external call of the word, which 
is appointed to be published to every creature, Mark 
xvi. 15. 

Q,. 23. How does it appear, that this promise is the foun- 
dation of church-membership, and consequently of bap- 
tism ? 

A. It appears from this, that the apostle enforces his ex- 
hortation to repent, and be baptized, upon the adult per- 
sons to whom he is speaking, from this powerful and en- 
couraging motive, that then their children should have a 
right and title to the privileges of the same covenant of 
promise, and the seal of which they themselves were to 



OP THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISxM. 



195 



receive in their baptism ; Repent, says he, and be baptized ; 

— for the promise is unto you and to your children. 
Q,. 29. To what promise does the apostle here point 1 
A. He points at the promise made to Abraham, Gen. 

xvii. 7: " I will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after 

thee." 

Q,. 30. What seal was annexed to this promise, or pro- 
mulgation of the covenant of grace, made to Abraham ] 

A. The seal of circumcision, ver. 10 : " This is my cov- 
enant, which ye shall keep between me and you; — Every 
man-child among you shall be circumcised." And ver. 
12 : " He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among 
you." 

Q. 31. What connexion is there between circumcising 
the seed of Abraham on the eighth day, under the Old 
Testament, and baptizing the children of professing pa- 
rents under the New I 

A. The connexion is, that though circumcision and bap- 
tism be different signs, yet they are both of them seals of 
the same covenant of grace ; and since the infant-seed of 
Abraham received the seal of circumcision under the Old 
Testament, by parity of reason, the infant children of pro- 
fessing parents should receive the seal of baptism under 
the New ; especially as baptism is now come in the room 
of circumcision. 

Q,. 32. How do you prove, from scripture, that baptism 
is come in the room of circumcision 1 

A. From Col. ii. 10 — 12 : " Ye are complete in him — in 
whom, also, ye are circumcised with the circumcision 
made without hands : — buried with him in baptism, where- 
in also ye are risen with him." 

Q,. 33. How does it appear, from this text, that baptism 
is now come in the room of circumcision 7 

A. From the plain and obvious scope of it, which is to 
show, that there is no need now of that circumcision 
which was outward in the flesh, as we have all the blessed 
fruits and effects of Christ's death and resurrection more 
clearly, and, at the same time, more extensively, repre- 
sented and sealed in baptism ; which is dispensed equally 
to both sexes. 

Q. 34. What would be the consequence, if the infants of 
professing parents, under the New Testament, were not 
admitted to the initiating seal of the covenant, as well as 
the infants of the Jews under the Old 1 

A. The consequence would be, that the privileges of the 
New Testament church would be more abridged and 
lessened, than those of the Old, whereas they are rather 
increased and enlarged, Isa. liv. 2, 3. 

Q,. 35. How can infants be baptized, when they are in- 



196 



OF THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 



capable of making a profession of their faith, which seems 
to be required in order to baptism 1 Acts viii. 37. 

A. An explicit or formal profession of faith, is required 
only of them that are adult, or come to age, when they 
are to be baptized : but not of infants now, any more than 
when they were circumcised of old, on the eighth day 
after their birth. 

Q,. 36. Are infants capable of the blessings signified and 
sealed in baptism ! 

A. Undoubtedly they are ; for some of them have been 
filled with the Holy Ghost even from their mother's womb, 
Luke i. 15 ; and, consequently, by grace capable of regene- 
ration, pardon, and eternal life ; wherefore the sign and 
seal of these blessings ought not to be withheld. 

Q. 37. How are children of professing parents designa- 
ted in scripture 1 

A. If any one of the parents be a visible believer, or re- 
gular church-member, the children, on that account, are 
called holy, 1 Cor. vii. 14: "The unbelieving husband is 
sanctified by the wife ; and the unbelieving wife is sancti- 
fied by the husband; else were your children unclean, but 
now are they holy." 

Q,. 38. What holiness is here meant! 

A. • Federal holiness, or being admitted to church mem- 
bership, together with their believing or professing 
parent. 

Q,. 39. May not this holiness be understood of legiti- 
macy, or being lawfully begotten 7 

A. No : because marriage being an ordinance of the 
law of nature, the children of married parents, though both 
of them be infidels, are as lawfully begotten as those of 
professing Christians. 

Q,. 40. How does federal holiness entitle an infant to 
baptism ? 

A. Federal holiness necessarily supposes a being with- 
in the covenant, in virtue of the credible profession of the 
parent ; and, consequently, a right to the initiatory seal 
of it. 

Q,. 41. Is there any express precept in the New Testa- 
ment for baptizing the infants of visible believers '? 

A. The privilege of the infant seed of visible church- 
members, having been settled ever since Abraham's time, 
and never reversed, there was no need of any more than 
the general precept, "Go and baptize," Matt, xxviii. 19. 

Q. 42. Why is there need of no precept more express 
than this general one 1 

A. Because the infants' privilege of being assumed into 
the same covenant with their parents, is declared to be 
continued in New Testament times, Acts ii. 39 : " The 
promise is unto you, and to your children." 



or the lord's supper. 



197 



Q. 43. Have we any scripture example for infant bap- 
tism? 

A. Yes : the apostles baptized whole households or 
families at once; such as the household of Lydia, Acts xvi. 
15; all the jailor's family, ver. 33; and the household of 
Stephanas, 1 Cor. i. 16. 

Q,. 44. But there is no mention of their baptizing infants 
in those families. 

A. Neither is there mention of their baptizing adult per- 
sons in them ; only, since they baptized the whole, it may 
be inferred that there were some infants, or young ones, 
among them. 

Q,. 45. " How is our baptism to be improved by us F 
A. " By serious and thankful consideration of the na- 
ture of it, and of the ends for which Christ instituted it ; — 
by being humbled for our sinful defilement, our falling 
short of, and walking contrary to our engagements ; — and 
by endeavouring to live by faith, to have our conversation 
in holiness and righteousness, as those that have therein 
given up their names to Christ, and to walk in brotherly 
love, as being baptized by the same Spirit into one body."* 
Q,. 46. When should we thus improve our baptism % 
A. " All our life long, especially in the time of tempta- 
tion, and when we are present at the administration of it 
to others." f 



Quest. 96. What is the Lord's supper ? 

Ans. The Lord's supper is a sacrament, wherein, by 
giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's 
appointment, his death is showed forth ; and the worthy 
receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but 
by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all 
his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in 
grace. 

Q,. 1. Why is this sacrament compared to a [supper 1] 
A. Because it was instituted immediately after eating 

the passover, (Matt. xxvi. 26,) which was always at night, 

Ex. xii. 6, 8. 
Q,. 2. Why is it called [the Lord's supper 1] 
A. Because the Lord Jesus was the sole author of it, 1 

Cor. xi. 23 ; and it is highly requisite it should be so. 
Q. 3. Why was it highly requisite that the Lord Jesus 

should be the sole author of this holy ordinance 1 

* Larger Catechism, Question 167. t Ibid. 



198 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



A. Because all the grace that is held forth in it, is trea- 
sured up wholly in him ; and is conveyed and applied by 
him to the soul, John i. 16. 

Q,. 4. When did Christ institute and appoint this sacra- 
ment? 

A. " The same night in which he was betrayed," 1 Cor. 
xi. 23. 

Q. 5. What night was that? 

A. It was the very last night before his death, Matt. xxvi. 
47, 48, compared with chap, xxvii. 1, 35, 46, 50. 

Q,. 6. What is implied in his instituting this sacrament 
the same night in which he was betrayed? 

A. It implies his infinite goodness, and inviolable attach- 
ment to mankind lost, whom he represented ; that in the 
immediate prospect of his greatest sufferings and soul 
agonies in their stead, he should have their salvation and 
comfort so much at heart, as to leave this memorial and 
pledge of his dying love among them, till he come again, 
Matt. xxvi. 29. 

Q,. 7. Are Christians under any obligation to celebrate 
this ordinance at night, as our Lord and his disciples did 
at the first institution of it 1 

A. No ; the substitution of tins sacrament in the room 
of the passover, [which was eaten immediately before,] 
was the occasion of its being first administered at night ; 
and that particular occasion can never recur again. 

Q,. 8. In what posture should the Lord's supper be re- 
ceived ? 

A. This sacrament being called the Lord's table, 1 Cor. 
x. 21, a table posture, which is sitting, seems to be most 
agreeable to the practice of our Lord, and his disciples, at 
the first supper, Matt. xxvi. 20, 26. 

Q. 9. From whence did the practice of kneeling at the 
sacrament take its rise ? 

A. From the church of Rome, who maintain that the 
consecrated bread, or wafer, is changed into the real body 
of Christ, and therefore to be worshipped. 

Q,. 10. What are the outward elements, appointed by 
Christ, in this sacrament? 

A. They are [bread and wine,] Mark xiv. 22, 23. 

Q,. 1 1. What sort of bread and wine is proper to be used ? 

A. J List such as is ordinarily used in entertainments 
among men. 

Q,. 12. Is the sacrament of the supper to be received, by 
every partaker, in both elements ? 

A. Certainly it ought ; for our Lord gave both elements 
to his disciples ; andlhe apostle appoints both the elements 
to be dispensed to communicants, 1 Cor. xi. 28: "Let a 
man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and 
drink of that cup." And therefore the withholding of the 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



199 



cup from the people, as is done by the church of Rome, is 
both sacrilegious and impious. 

Q. 13. What is signified by the bread and the wine? 

A. The [body] and [blood] of Christ, 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25. 

Q,. 14. What is to be understood by Christ's body and 
blood] 

A. His incarnation and satisfaction, for the complete 
accomplishment of our redemption, John vi. 51: " The 
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the 
life of the world." 

Q,. 15. What is the analogy, or resemblance, between 
the bread and wine, and what is signified and represented 
by these elements ] 

A. As bread and wine make a sufficient entertainment 
for the nourishment of the body ; so the righteousness and 
fulness of Christ, are a full and satisfying feast for the re- 
freshment of the soul, John vi. 55 : " My flesh is meat in- 
deed, and my blood is drink indeed." 

Q. 16. What are the sacramental actions with reference 
to these elements 1 

A. They are all of them comprehended in the answer, 
under [giving and receiving bread and wine, according to 
Christ's appointment.] 

Q,. 17. Whom do these sacramental actions respect? 

A. Some of them respect the administrator, and some 
the partakers in this holy ordinance. 

Q,. 18. Who are the administrators of this sacrament] 

A. Christ himself was the first administrator of it ; and 
after him, ministers of the word, lawfully called and set 
apart to that office. 

Q,. 19. What were the actions of Christ, the first adminis- 
trator, which ministers are to imitate, in dispensing this 
sacrament ? 

A. After his example, they take the bread, and the cup ; 
they bless these elements ; they break the bread, and give 
both the bread and the wine to be distributed among the 
communicants. 
Q,. 20. What is meant by taking the bread and the cup] 
A. Christ's voluntarily assuming the human nature into 
union with his divine person, Heb. ii. J 6, that in it he might 
be a sacrifice of infinite value in our stead, Eph. v. 2. 
O. 21. What is implied in blessing the elements] 
A. That Christ has appointed the bread and the wine in 
this sacrament, to be the visible signs or symbols of his 
body and blood ; and likewise, by his example, has warrant- 
ed ministers to set apart, by solemn prayer, so much of 
these elements, as shall be used in this sacrament, from a 
common, to a holy use. 

Q,. 22. Why is Christ's blessing the elements called his 
giving thanks ] 1 Cor. xi. 24. 



200 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



A. Because so inconceivably great was his love to lost 
sinners of mankind, that he was thankful he had all their 
debt to pay, Ps. xl. 7, 8 ; and that he was able to do it to 
the uttermost, Heb. vii. 25. 

Q,. 23. What is to be understood by breaking the bread 1 

A. The most exquisite sufferings of the Son of God, Ps. 
xxii. 14, 15, and the necessity of them, as the channel, in 
which mercy was to be vented to the sinner, Rom. v. 21. 

Q,. 24. What is intimated to us by [giving] the bread and 
[giving] the cup ? Matt. xxvi. 26, 27. 

A. It intimates, that Christ is the free gift of God to sin- 
ners of mankind, for salvation and eternal life, John iii. 16. 

Q,. 25. What are the sacramental actions of the partak- 
ers in this sacrament, included in their [receiving] of bread 
and wine? 

A. They take the bread and the cup : they eat the 
bread, and drink a part of the wine in the cup. 

Q. 26. What is imported in their taking the bread and 
the cup 1 

A. It imports, that our receiving of Christ, is founded 
on the gift and grant that is made of him in the word ; 
for, " a man can receive nothing, except it be given him 
from heaven," John iii. 27. 

Q,. 27. What is included in their eating the bread, and 
drinking the wine 7 

A. It includes, that there ought to be an application of 
Christ to the soul in particular, in virtue of the particular 
endorsement of the promise, to every one that hears the 
gospel : For the promise, says the apostle Peter, is unto 
you, (that is, unto every one of you,) and to your children, 
Acts ii. 39. 

Q,. 28. For what end did Christ institute these sacrament- 
al elements and actions ] 

A. That thereby [his death,] might be [showed forth,] 1 
Cor. xi. 26, and the remembrance of it kept up, Luke 
xxii. 19. 

Q. 29. What is it to show forth the death of Christ] 

A. It is to profess, by partaking of the sacrament, that 
we believe his death, in our room, to have been most ac- 
ceptable to God, Eph. v. 2; and that we acquiesce in it, 
together with his obedience, as the sole ground of our 
hope of salvation, Rom. iv. 25. 

Q. 30. How does it appear, that his death, in our room, 
was most acceptable to God ] 

A. By his resurrection from the dead, 1 Thess. i. 10, and 
his entrance into glory, Luke xxiv. 26. 

Q,. 31. How may we know if we acquiesce in the obedi- 
ence and death of Christ, as the sole ground of our hope 
of salvation] 

A. If we are renouncing all other confidences, Hos. xiv. 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



201 



3, and are convinced that the meritorious obedience unto 
death of the Son of God as our Surety, is the sole pay- 
ment of the debt we owed to law and justice, Jer. xxiii. 6: 
"This is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord 
our righteousness." 

Q,. 32. Why has Christ appointed this sacrament to be 
observed in remembrance of him, Luke xxii. 19 : u This 
do in remembrance of me V 1 

A. Because though his incarnation and satisfaction are 
the greatest events that ever happened iii. the world, and 
the most interesting to us, yet we are apt to forget them ; 
or at least not to have the solid and lively impression of 
them habitually upon our spirits, Ps. cvi. 13: "They soon 
forgat his works." 

<5. 33. What is it about the death of Christ which we 
ought to remember in this sacrament ? 

A. The truth of it, the necessity of it, and the sufficiency 
of it. 

Q,. 34. What is it to remember the truth of Christ's 
death ! 

A. It is by a true and saving faith, to believe that Christ 
really did and suffered all these things for us, that are re- 
corded of him in scripture, 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4. 

Q,. 35. What is it to remember the necessity of his death, 
Luke xxiv. 26 : " Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things ]" 

A. It is to believe, that we had certainly gone down to 
the pit, unless God had found a ransom, or an atonement, 
Job xxxiii. 24. 
Q,. 36. What is it to remember the sufficiency of it 1 
A. It is to believe that it is infinitely valuable; and, 
therefore, could have procured the salvation of thousands 
of worlds, had it been so ordained, it being the death and 
blood of him, who is the supreme God, Acts xx. 28 : " Feed 
the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own 
blood." 

Q,. 37. In what manner should we show forth and re- 
member the death of Christ in this sacrament ? 

A. We ought to do it fiducially, humbly, mournfully, and 
thankfully. 

Q,. 38. Why ought we to remember his death fiducially 1 
A. Because as he " was delivered for our offences," Rom. 
iv. 25, so " God raised him up from the dead, and gave him 
fitfory, that our faith and hope might be in God," 1 Pet. 
f. 21. 

Q,. 39. Why ought we to remember it humbly t 
A. Because when we are unworthy of the least of all 
God's mercies, Gen. xxxii. 10, we are much more so of the 
greatest that can be conferred, John iii. 16 : " God so loved 
the world," &c. 



202 



01 THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



Q, 40. Why mournfully? 

A. Because our sins were the procuring cause of his 
sufferings, Isa. liii. 5, 6: " He was wounded for our trans- 
gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: — The Lord 
hath laid on him the iniquities of us all." * 

Q.. 41. Why should the death of Christ be remembered 
thankfully ? 

A. Because his death was in our room, Tit. ii. 14; and 
was the finishing stroke of the work which his Father gave 
him to do, John xix. 30. 

Q,. 42. How often should the death of Christ be remem- 
bered, by partaking of this sacrament ? 

A. The scripture has not precisely determined how 
often ; but it would appear that it ought frequently to be 
done. 

Q,. 43. How does it appear that the death of Christ should 
be frequently remembered in the supper I 

A. From the words of our Lord, 1 Cor. xi. 25, 26 : " This 
do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me ; for, as 
often as ye eat this bread," &c., plainly implying, that it 
ought often to be done. 

Q,. 44. When will the death of Christ be remembered 
perpetually, without interruption ! 

A. In heaven, though not in a sacramental way, Rev. 
xxi. 22: "I saw no temple there." 

Q,. 45. How may it be proved, that it will be perpetually 
remembered in heaven 1 

A. From the song of the redeemed there, recorded, Rev. 
i. 5, 6 : " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our 
sins in his own blood — to him be glory." And chap. v. 
9 — 14: "And they sung a new song, saying — Thou wast 
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood," &c. 

Q,. 46. Who are called [worthy receivers,] in the answer ! 

A. None are worthy receivers of this sacrament, but 
true believers ; and even they, in order to their partaking 
worthily and comfortably, ought to have grace in exercise, 
as well as in the habit, Song i. 12. 

Q. 47. Why are true believers called worthy receivers'? 

A. Not on account of any worthiness in themselves, 
for they have nothing of their own of which they can 
boast ; but because they are united to Christ, and have all 
that grace from him, which enables them to partake in a 
suitable and becoming manner, 2 Cor. iii. 5. 

Q,. 48. What are the worthy receivers [made partakers 
of] in this sacrament? 

A. They are [made partakers of Christ's body and 
blood, with all his benefits.] 

Q,. 49. What is it to be partakers of Christ's body and 
blood ! 

* Marg. Hath made the iniquities of us all to meet in him. 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



203 



A. It is to be entertained, in the sacrament upon all that 
was transacted upon the person of Christ, as God-man, 
Mediator: this being the only proper and suitable food of 
the soul, John vi. 51, 53. 

Q,. 50. In what respect is it, that the worthy receivers 
are not made partakers of his body and blood ] 

A. They are not made partakers [after a corporal and 
carnal manner.] 

Q. 51. Why are these words inserted in the answer, [not 
after a corporal and carnal manner ?] 

A. They are inserted in opposition to the Popish doc- 
trine of transubstantiation, " which maintains a change of 
the substance of bread and wine, into the substance of 
Christ's body and blood, by consecration of a priest." * 

Q,. 52. What is the absurdity of this doctrine 1 

A. It is " repugnant not to scripture alone, but even to 
common sense and reason; overthroweth the nature of 
the sacrament ; and hath been and is the cause of mani- 
fold superstitions, yea, of gross idolatries." | 

Q. 53. How is it repugnant to scripture 1 

A. The scripture expressly affirms, that Christ gave the 
very same bread and cup to his disciples, after consecra- 
tion, that he had taken into his hands before, Matt. xxvi. 
26, 27. Whereas the doctrine of transubstantiation main- 
tains, that the elements, after consecration, are no more 
the same, having only the form, colour, taste, and smell of 
bread and wine, wanting the substance of either; being 
turned into the substance of Christ's body and blood ; in 
opposition to which, the apostle calls the elements, after 
consecration, by the same names they had before it, to in- 
timate, that there was no change of their substance, 1 Cor. 
xi. 26 — 28 : " As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this 
cup," &c. 

Q,. 54. How is transubstantiation repugnant to common 
sense and reason ] 

A. Common sense and reason tell us, that a body occu- 
pies but one place, and cannot be in divers places at one 
and the same time; whereas they who defend transub- 
stantiation must allow, that the body of Christ may be in 
a thousand places at once, even as many places as there 
are consecrated wafers. 

Q,. 55. How does transubstantiation overthrow the na- 
ture of the sacrament 1 

A. By destroying the spiritual or sacramental relation, 
that is between the sign and the thing signified ; for if the 
sign be turned into the thing signified, then all relation and 
similitude between them cease. Besides, the sacrament 
being a commemoration of what was done and suffered 



* Confession of Faith, chap. xxix. $ 6. 



t Ibid. 



204 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



in the human nature of Christ, it supposes his body to be 
absent, whereas transubstantiation supposes it present. 

Q,. 56. How is it the cause of manifold superstitions and 
gross idolatries? 

A. In as much as strange and surprising effects are 
ascribed to the host, or consecrated" wafer, even when not 
used sacramentally ; and the alleged change of the bread 
and wine, into the substance of Christ's body and blood 
in the sacrament, is the very pretence, why they pay reli- 
gious worship and adoration to the elements themselves; 
which is gross superstition and idolatry. 

Q,. 57. What is the difference between the Papists and 
Lutherans on this head? 

A. The Papists maintain, that the bread and wine lose 
their own natural substance, and are turned into the sub- 
stance of Christ's body and blood; but the Lutherans 
affirm, that the bread and wine retain their own natural 
substance still, and, at the same time, that the substance 
of Christ's body and blood is in, with, or under, these ele- 
ments. 

Q,. 58. Are not both opinions equally absurd 1 

A. Yes : for transubstantiation supposes, that one body 
may be in many places at the same time ; and consubstan- 
tiation takes it for granted, that two bodies may be to- 
gether in the very same place, or that they may both oc- 
cupy the same individual space at the same time. 

Q,. 59. Is Christ offered up, in this sacrament, as a sacri- 
fice for the remission of sins ? 

A. No : there is in it " only a commemoration of that 
one offering up of himself, by himself, upon the cross, once 
for all ; and a spiritual oblation of all possible praise unto 
God for the same. * 

Q. 60. Why does our Confession say, that Christ's once 
offering up of himself was done by himself? 

A. In opposition to the unbloody sacrifice of the mass, 
which is offered up daily by the Popish priests, for remis- 
sion of the sins both of the quick and the dead. 

Q,. 61. What does our Confession of Faith affirm con- 
cerning this Popish " sacrifice of the mass," as they call it? 

A. It affirms, that it is "most abominably injurious to 
Christ's one only sacrifice, the alone propitiation for all the 
sins of the elect, Heb. vii. 27." f 

Q,. 62. Is not Christ really present in the sacrament of 
the supper ? 

A. He is " as really, but spiritually, present to the faith 
of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves 
are to their outward senses, 1 Cor. xi. 29." J 

Q,. 63. If Christ be really present in the sacrament only 



* Confession of Faith, chap. xxix. $ 2. t Ibid. | Ibid. $ 7. 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



205 



in a spiritual sense, and not corporally, why does he say 
of the bread, This is my body ? 

A. The plain and obvious meaning is, This bread is the 
sign or symbol of my body : so that the words are to be 
understood in the figurative, not in the literal sense. 

Q,. 64. How do you prove, that these words, This is my 
body, are to be understood in the figurative, and not in 
the literal and proper sense ? 

A. From this known rule in all language, that when the 
strict literal sense involves a manifest absurdity, or con- 
tradiction, we must of necessity have recourse to the figu- 
rative sense ; as when the apostle says, 1 Cor. x. 4, " That 
rock was Christ," it cannot be understood literally, as if 
that rock, materially considered, was really Christ ; but, 
figuratively, that rock signified Christ ; and so of a great 
many other scripture expressions. 

Q,. 65. Since the worthy receivers are not made partak- 
ers of Christ's body and blood after a corporal and car- 
nal manner, how do they partake of the same? 

A. They partake of his body and blood, in this sacra- 
ment, only [by faith.] 

Q,. 66. What is it for the worthy receivers to partake of 
his body and blood by faith ) 

A. It is to apply and appropriate himself and his right- 
eousness, [with all his benefits,] to themselves, Ps. xvi. 
5, 6. 

Q,. 67. What are these [benefits] which faith, in this 
sacrament, applies together with Christ himself] 

A. Among many others, there are these three compre- 
hensive ones ; namely, an ample indemnity of all sin, Micah 
vii. 19 ; an unquestionable security for the progress of 
sanctification, Job xvii. 9 ; and an undoubted title to eter- 
nal life, John x. 28. 

a. 68. Why are these, and the like, called [his] bene- 
fits] 

A. Because he is the purchaser, Tit. ii. 14, proprietor, 
John iii. 35, and dispenser of them, Eph. iv. 8. 

Q,. 69. Why are worthy receivers said to be made 
partakers of [all] his benefits ? 

A. Because where himself is received, all good things go 
along with him, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23 :— all are yours ; and ye 
are Christ's. . . _ 

Q, 70. What is the fruit and effect of their being, by 
faith, made partakers of Christ, and all his benefits] 

A. The fruit and effect of it is, [their spiritual nourish- 
ment, and growth in grace.] 

Q,. 71. What does [their spiritual nourishment] imply 
in it] 

A. That this sacrament is not a converting, but a nour- 
ishing ordinance. 
Part 11—18 



206 OF THE WORTHY RECEIVING 

Q,. 72. What does their [growth in grace] imply ? 
A. That the worthy receivers are already in a state of 
grace. 

Q,. 73. How may spiritual nourishment and growth in 
grace be discerned ? 

A. If there is a more enlarged desire after the sincere 
milk of the word, 1 Pet. ii. 2; if there is more living by 
faith, and not by sense, 2 Cor. v. 7 ; and if there is more 
inward opposition to sin, Ps. lxvi. 18, and outward tender- 
ness in the walk, Ps. xxxix. 1. 



Quest. 97. What is required to the worthy receiving 
of the Lord's supper ? 

Ans. It is required of them that would worthily partake 
of the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves of 
their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith 
to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedi- 
ence ; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judg- 
ment to themselves. 

Q,. L What preparatory duty is here required of those 
that would partake of the Lord's supper 1 

A. It is, [that they examine themselves,] 1 Cor. xi. 28 : 
" But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of 
that bread, and drink of that cup." 

Q. 2. What is it for persons to [examine themselves 1] 

A. It is to make a strict inquiry into, and to pass an im- 
partial judgment upon their spiritual state and frame, by 
the rule of the word, Ps. Ixxvii. 6, and cxix. 105. 

Q,. 3. What is the best and most successful way of 
essaying this duty I 

A. It is to put it into the hand of the Spirit of God to 
manage it for us, Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24 : " Search me, O God, 
and know my heart," &c. 

Q.. 4. Why is self-examination necessary before receiving 
the Lord's supper 1 

A. Because it is peremptorily commanded, in order to 
discover whether we be in a gracious state; or, if we have 
grace in any measure of exercise; without either of 
which there can be no comfortable participation of this 
ordinance : " Let a man examine himself, and so let him 
eat." 

Q,. 5. Is this the duty of every man, or of some only ? 
A. It is unquestionably the duty of every man: Let a 
man examine himself; that is, every man and woman, 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



207 



without exception, whether they think themselves gracious 
or graceless. 

Q,. 6. Why should a gracious man examine himself! 

A. Because " there is not a just man upon earth, that 
doeth good and sinneth not," Eccl. vii. 20. 

Q,. 7. Why should they, who think they are graceless, 
examine themselves 1 

A. Because " they that be whole need not a physician, 
but they that are sick," Matt. ix. 12. They thus come to 
see more clearly their absolute need of Christ. 

Q,. 8. Is self-examination the duty of those only who are 
to partake for the first time ! 

A. It is the duty of persons every time they venture to 
partake of this ordinance, as the words of the precept evi- 
dently bear, " so let him eat ;" that is, let none approach this 
holy table at any time without first essaying this duty. 

Q,. 9. Is self-examination to be practised only about the 
time of communion! 

A. It ought to be practised daily or habitually, 2 Cor. 
xiii. 5; and especially in the view of such a solemn ap- 
proach to the Lord at his table. 

Q,. 10. What are those things, about which they that 
would worthily partake of the Lord's supper are required 
to examine themselves! 

A. They are required to examine themselves [of their 
knowledge — of their faith — of their repentance, love, and 
new obedience.] 

Q. 11. What are they to try or examine about their 
[knowledge !] 

A. If they have a competent measure of it ; and if the 
measure they have, be of a saving kind. 

Q,. 12. What is that competent measure of knowledge, 
which is requisite to the worthy receiving of the Lord's 
supper ! 

A. That there be some understanding of the person, 
offices, and righteousness of Christ ; of the fulness, free- 
dom, and stability of the covenant of grace; of the nature, 
use, and end, of the sacrament of the supper ; and like- 
wise of our own manifold sins and wants. 

Q,. 13. Why is such a knowledge necessary! 

A. It is necessary [to discern the Lord's body.] 

Q,. 14. What is it to discern the Lord's body in this sac- 
rament ! 

A. It is to view the meritorious atonement, made by the 
Son of God in our nature, through the symbols of bread 
and wine, which are designed to signify and represent the 
same. 

Q. 15. Who are they who are guilty of not discerning 
the Lord's body! 
A. They who rest in partaking of the outward elements, 



208 



OP THE WORTHY RECEIVING 



without a firm belief of the mysteries that are wrapped up 
in them. 

Q,. 16. How may we know if the measure of knowledge 
w T e have attained, be of a saving kind? 

A. If we think we know nothing yet, as we ought to 
know, 1 Cor. viii. 2 ; if we are following on to know the 
Lord more and more, Hos. vi. 3 ; and if our knowledge 
influences our practice, John xiii. 17: "If ye know these 
things, happy are ye if ye do them." 

Q,. 1 7. Why is [faith] necessary to the worthy partaking 
of the Lord's supper] 

A. It is necessary in order [to feed upon him.] 

Q,. 18. What is it to feed upon Christ in the sacrament 
of the supper'? 

A. It is to receive into our souls, from his fulness, all 
that spiritual good which is exhibited to us in the promise, 
John i. 16. 

Q,. 19. W T hat is it of Christ that faith feeds upon in the 
sacrament ! 

A. It feeds upon all those discoveries of him that are 
made in the w T ord ; such as, his person, offices, mediatorial 
character, and relations, John vi. 57. 

Q. 20. How may we know if we have that faith which 
feeds on Christ in the word and sacrament] 

A. Where this true and saving faith is, it is of an appe- 
tizing nature, whetting the spiritual appetite after more 
and more of him, Isa. xxvi. 8, 9 ; it purifies the heart, Acts 
xv. 9 ; accounts all things but loss for Christ, Phil. iii. 8 ; 
and is careful to maintain good works, Tit. iii. 8. 

Q,. 21 . What is the use of [repentance] in this sacrament 1 

A. Without repentance there can be no mourning for 
sin, which is an inseparable concomitant of faith's looking 
to, or improving a crucified Saviour in this ordinance, 
Zech. xii. 10 : " They shall look upon me whom they have 
pierced, and they shall mourn for him." 

Q,. 22. How may we know if our repentance be genu- 
ine or of a right kind ? 

A. It is true and genuine, if w r e are grieved for sin as it 
is offensive to God, Ps. li. 4 ; if we are forsaking, and turn- 
ing from it both in heart and life, Hos. xiv. 1 ; and, partic- 
ularly, if we are deeply affected with the sin of unbelief, 
John xvi. 9. 

Q,. 23. What necessity is there for the exercise of the 
grace of [love] in partaking of the Lord's supper ? 

A. Without love to Christ, there can be no communion 
with him in this, or any other ordinance, John xiv. 21 : 
" He that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I 
will love him, and I will manifest myself to him." 

Q,. 24. How may we know if our love to Christ be sin- 
cere and unfeigned ? 



OP THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



209 



A. If it put us upon essaying the most difficult duties he 
may call us to, Ps. xxiii. 4 ; if it engage us to put a fa- 
vourable construction upon the afflicting providences we 
meet with in our lot, Heb. xii. 10, and if we love his mem- 
bers out of love to himself, or because they are begotten 
of him, 1 John v. 1. 

Q,. 25. Why is the obedience required of worthy receiv- 
ers called [new obedience ]] 

A. Because it flows from a new principle of faith and 
love, Gal. v. 6 ; it is performed in a new manner, namely, 
in the strength of the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 Tim. 
ii. 1, and is directed to a new end, even the glory of God, 
1 Cor. x. 31. 

Q,. 26. How may we know if our obedience is indeed 
new obedience ? 

A. If we are conscientiously diligent in the practice of 
every duty, and at the same time look on ourselves as un- 
profitable servants, Luke xvii. 10, and lean wholly to the 
surety righteousness as the sole ground of our acceptance, 
Isa. xlv. 24. 

Q,. 27. What risk do they run who omit to examine 
themselves as to the above graces, before they come to 
the Lord's table? 

A. They run the risk of [coming unworthily.] 

Q,. 28. What is it to come unworthily ? 

A. It is to come without any real sense, or conscious- 
ness of the need that we stand in of Christ, as " of God 
made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and 
redemption,"' 1 Cor. i. 30. 

Q,. 29. What danger do they incur who thus come un- 
worthily ? 

A. [They eat and drink judgment to themselves,] 1 Cor. 
xi. 29. 

Q,. 30. In what sense can they who come unworthily, be 
said to eat and drink judgment to themselves? 

A. In so far as by their eating and drinking unworthily, 
they do that which renders them obnoxious to the right- 
eous judgment of God. 

Q. 31. To what [judgment] do they render themselves 
obnoxious ? 

A. To temporal judgments, or afflictions of various 
kinds, in the present life ; and to eternal judgment, or con- 
demnation (if mercy prevent not,) in the life to come, 1 
Cor. xi. 30, 32. 

Q. 32. " May not one who doubteth of his being in 
Christ, or of his due preparation, come to the Lord's 
supper ? 

A. "—If he be duly affected with the apprehension of 
the want of an interest in Christ, and unfeignedly desires 
to be found in him, and to depart from iniquity :" in that 

18* 



210 



OF THE WORTHY RECEIVING 



case, " he is to bewail his unbelief, and labour to have his 
doubts resolved ; and, in so doing, he may and ought to 
come to the Lord's supper, that he may be further strength- 
ened." * 

Q,. 33. When may a person be said to be duly affected 
with the apprehension of his want, of an interest in Christ! 

A. When he is filled with a restless uneasiness, and can 
take no comfort in any outward enjoyment, while he thinks 
himself destitute of an interest in Christ ; and, at the same 
time, is active and diligent in the use of all the ordinary 
means, in which Christ is usually to be found, Song iii. 
1—5. 

Q,. 34. " May any who profess their faith, and desire to 
come to the Lord's supper, be kept from it ?" 

A. " Such as are found to be ignorant or scandalous, 
notwithstanding their profession of the faith, and desire to 
come to the Lord's supper, may and ought to be kept from 
that sacrament, by the power which Christ hath left in his 
church ; until they receive instruction, and manifest their 
reformation." f 

Q,. 35. Why ought the ignorant to be kept back? 

A. Because they cannot discern the Lord's body, nor 
comprehend the end and design of this sacrament ; and, 
therefore, will but eat and drink judgment to themselves, 
1 Cor. xi. 29. 

Q,. 36. Why ought the scandalous to be kept back from 
this sacrament ! 

A. Because, by the habitual immorality of their practice, 
they manifest themselves to be under the dominion of the 
prince of darkness ; and, therefore, while in that state, can 
have no right to the privileges which belong only to the 
members of Christ's family, 1 Cor. x. 21. 

Q. 37. " What is required of them that receive the sa- 
crament of the Lord's supper, in the time of the adminis- 
tration of it?" 

A. " It is required of them, that they — needfully discern 
the Lord's body, and affectionately meditate on his death 
and sufferings, and thereby stir up themselves to a vigor- 
ous exercise of their graces ; in sorrowing for sin, hunger- 
ing and thirsting after Christ, feeding on him by faith — and 
in renewing their covenant with God, and love to all the 
saints." { 

Q,. 38. What is it for the Lord's people to renew their 
covenant with him at his table ? 

A. It is to acquiesce anew in the covenant of grace, as 
made with Christ, Isa. xliv. 5 ; and, in so doing, to sur- 
render themselves to the Lord, to be wholly his, trusting 
that he will keep them by his power, through faith unto 
salvation, 1 Pet. i. 5. 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 172. t Ibid. Q. 173. I Ibid. Q. 174. 



OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



211 



Q,. 39. What is it for them to renew their love to all the 
saints on that occasion 1 

A. It is to embrace the opportunity of being at the Lord's 
table, to breathe out the secret and habitual desires of their 
souls before him, that all the saints, as well as themselves, 
may share abundantly out of the fulness of Christ, Ps. xc. 
14; and that they keep themselves "in the love of God, 
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eter- 
nal life," Jude ver. 21. 

Q,. 40. What is the duty of Christians, after they have 
received the sacrament of the Lord's supper 1 

A. It is " seriously to consider how they have behaved 
themselves therein, and with what success; if they find 
quickening and comfort, to bless God for it, beg the con- 
tinuance of it, watch against relapses, fulfil their vows, 
and encourage themselves to a frequent attendance on 
that ordinance." * 

Q,. 41. What is it to fulfil our vows? 

A. It is to set about the practice of all commanded duty, 
according to our engagements, Ps. cxvi. 16, 18 ; and at the 
same time depend upon the grace and furniture that is in 
Christ Jesus for the right performance of it, Phil. iv. 1 3. 

Q. 42. What if Christians can find no present benefit 
by their attendance on this ordinance'? 

A. Then they are " more exactly to review their prepa- 
ration for, and carriage at the sacrament ; in both which, 
if they can approve themselves to God, and their own con- 
sciences, they are to wait for the fruit of it in due time." f 

Q,. 43. What if they have failed in their preparation for, 
and carriage at the sacrament 1 

A. Then " they are to be humbled, and attend upon it 
afterward, with more care and diligence." J 

Q,. 44. " Wherein do the sacraments of baptism and the 
Lord's supper agree I" 

A. " In that the author of both is God ; the spiritual part 
of both is Christ and his benefits; both are seals of the 
same covenant; — and to be continued in the church of 
Christ until his second coming." § 

Q. 45. In what do they differ? 

A. In that baptism is to be administered but once, with 
water, to be a sign and seal of our regeneration and in- 
grafting into Christ, and that even to infants : whereas the 
Lord's supper is to be administered often, in the elements 
of bread and wine, to represent and exhibit Christ as spi- 
ritual nourishment to the soul, and to confirm our continu- 
ance and growth in him, and that only to such as are of 
years and ability to examine themselves." || 



* Larger Catechism, Question 175. 
$ Ibid. Quest. 176. 



t Ibid. 
II Ibid. 177. 



t Ibid. 



I 

212 OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



Quest. 98. What is prayer ? 

Ats's. Prayer is an offering up of our desires to God 
for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ 
with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment 
of his mercies. 

Q,. 1. "Are we to pray to God only?" 

A. " God only being to be believed in, and worshipped 
with religious worship, prayer, which is a special part 
thereof, is to be made by all to him alone, and to none 
other." * 

Q,. 2. Why is prayer to be made by all to God alone, 
and to none other ? 

A. Because " God only is able to search the hearts, hear 
the requests, pardon the sins, and fulfil the desires of all."t 

Q,. 3. May we not direct our prayers to any of the per- 
sons of the adorable Trinity ? 

A. To be sure we may : for the Three-one God being 
the sole object of religious worship, whichever of the three 
persons we address, the other two are understood as in- 
cluded, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. 

Q,. 4. Why may we not pray to angels, or saints de- 
parted 1 

A. Because it would be gross idolatry, they being but 
mere creatures ; nor can they supply the wants, nor re- 
move the miseries which sin has brought upon us. 

Q. 5. Do we pray to God to inform him of what he knew 

not before] 

A. Not at all : for from eternity he knew all the thoughts 
that ever should pass through our minds in time,"Ps. 
cxxxix. 2, 4. 

Q,. 6. Do we pray to him that we may alter his mind, or 
incline him to any thing which he was formerly unwilling 
to grant 1 

A. No : for with him is no variableness, neither shadow 
of turning, James i. 17; but we pray to him, that we may 
obtain what we know and believe he is willing to confer, 
1 John v. 14 : " This is the confidence that we have in him, 
that if we ask any thing according to his will, he hear- 
eth us." 

Q,. 7. What are the several parts of prayer mentioned 
in this answer 1 

A. They are these three ; petition, confession, and thanks- 
giving. 

Q,. 8. In which of these does prayer properly consist ? 
A. In petition, or supplication. 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 179. 



t Ibid. 



OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



213 



Q,. 9. How does the answer describe our petitions, or 
supplications ] 

A. It describes them to be [an offering up of our desires 
to God.] 

Q,. 1 0. Why are our petitions called [our desires ?] 
A. Because the words of our mouth, without the desires 
of our heart, are nothing but empty sounds in the ears of 
God, Isa. xxix. 13: "This people draw near to me with 
their mouth,— but have removed their heart far from 
me." 

Q,. 11. Why must there be [an offering up] of our de- 
sires to God 1 

A. Because prayers are spiritual sacrifices, 1 Pet. ii. 5 ; 
and all sacrifices were appointed to be offered to God only, 
2 Kings xvii. 35, 36. 

Q,. 12. From whence flow the desires of the heart ! 

A. From a sense of need : we cannot have any earnest 
desire after that, with the want of which we are no way 
affected ; for, " the full soul loatheth a honey comb," Prov. 
xxvii. 7. 

Q,. 13. For what [things] ought we to offer up our de- 
sires to God 1 

A. [For things agreeable to his will.] 

Q. 14. What [will] of God are we to have our eye upon, 
when we ask any thing from him ? 

A. Not upon his secret, but his revealed will, Deut. 
xxix. 29. 

Q,. 15. How shall we know, if what we ask be agreeable 
to his revealed will 1 

A. If we ask what he has promised, we are sure it is 
agreeable to his revealed will to confer it, because the 
promise is to us, Acts ii. 39. 

Q,. 16. Are we straitened, or narrowed, in our requests, 
when we are confined to the promise as the subject-mat- 
ter of them 1 

A. By no means ; for the promise contains infinitely 
more than we are able to ask or think, Eph. iii. 20. 

Q,. 17. May we ask temporal mercies at the hand of 
God] 

A. Yes : because they are promised, so far as we have 
any real need of them, Ps. xxxiv. 10. Isa. xxxiii. 16. 

Q,. 18. Whether ought temporal or spiritual mercies to 
have the preference in our requests'? 

A. Spiritual mercies ought to have the preference, Matt, 
vi. 33 : " Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his right- 
eousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." 

Q. 19. What is meant by the kingdom of God, and his 
righteousness 1 

A. The work of grace in the soul, and the surety 



214 



OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



righteousness imputed, as the foundation of it, Rom. 
viii. 4. 

Q,. 20. Why are these to be sought in the first place ? 
A. Because absolutely necessary to salvation, Rom. 
v. 21. 

Q,. 21. In whose name are we to ask things agreeable to 
God's will ] 

A. [In the name of Christ ] 

Q,. 22. What is it to pray in the name of Christ 1 

A. It is, " in obedience to his command, and in confi- 
dence of his promise, to ask mercies for his sake!"* 

Q. 23. Is the bare mentioning of Christ's name, a pray- 
ing therein'? 

A. No ; but a " drawing our encouragement to pray, 
and our boldness, strength, and hope of acceptance in 
prayer, from Christ and his mediation."! 

Q. 24. " Why are we to pray in the name of Christ V 

A. " Because the sinfulness of man, and his distance 
from God, by reason thereof, is so great, as that we can 
have no access into his presence without a Mediator."! 

Q,. 25. Is there any other Mediator but Christ, in whose 
name we may approach to God 1 

A. No : " there being none in heaven or earth appoint- 
ed to, or fit for that glorious work but Christ alone, we are 
to pray in no other name but his only, Col. iii. 17-5 

Q,. 26. Can we, of ourselves, pray in a right manner "? 

A. No : unless the Spirit of supplication is poured upon 
us, (Zech. xii. 10,) to help our infirmities ; for we know 
not what to pray for as w r e ought, Rom. viii. 26. 

Q,. 27. " How doth the Spirit help us to pray 1 

A. " By enabling us to understand both for whom, 

and what, and how prayer is to be made '?"|| 

Q. 28. " For whom are we to pray ?" 

A. "For the whole church of Christ upon earth; for 
magistrates, and ministers; for ourselves, our brethren; 
yea, our enemies ; and for all sorts of men living, or that 
shall live hereafter."1T 

Q,. 29. For what are we to pray, in behalf of the whole 
church of Christ upon earth ? 

A. That they all may be one in Christ, the glorious head, 
John xvii. 21 ; and that they may grow up unto him in all 
things, Eph. iv. 15, till they "all come in the unity of the 
faith, and knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect 
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of 
Christ," verse 13. 

d. 30. For what should we pray with reference to 
magistrates 7 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 180. t Ibid. t Ibid. Q. 181. § Ibid. 
II Larger Catechism, Quest. 182. IT Ibid. Q. 183. 



OP THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



215 



A. That they may not be " a terror to good works, but 
to the evil," Rom. xiii. 3 ; and that, under them, we mav 
lead a quiet and peaceable life, in al] godliness and 
honesty, 1 Tim. ii. 2. 

Q,. 31. For what should we pray in behalf of ministers'? 

A. That they may not shun to declare to their hearers 
the who]e counsel of God, Acts xx. 27 ; and that they may 
" watch for their souls, as they that must give account," 
Heb. xiii. 17. 

Q. 32. Can we be hearty in praying for others, if we 
neglect to pray for ourselves? 

A. No ; tor if we are indifferent about the state of our 
own souls, it is impossible we can be concerned for others, 
any farther than our interest and affection bind us, Job 
xxvii. 10. 

Q,. 33. Who are our brethren for whom we are to pray] 

A. They are not only our kindred, according to the 
flesh, but all the members of the visible church ; yea, all 
our fellow-creatures, 1 John iv. 21. 

Q. 34. For what are we to pray in behalf of our enemies 1 

A. That their hearts may be changed, their tempers 
softened, that however they have treated us, they may be 
made Christ's friends, and partakers of eternal salvation 
through him, Matt. v. 44, compared with Luke xxiii. 34. 

Q,. 35, If we are to pray for all sorts of men living, how 
may we pray about the Roman Antichrist ! 

A. Out of the love we should bear to our fellow-crea- 
tures, who are under the yoke and dominion of the Ro- 
man Antichrist, we ought to pray no otherwise about him, 
than that the Lord would soon " consume him with the 
Spirit of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness 
of his coming," 2 Thess. ii. 8. 

Q,. 36. What do we mean, when we pray for those that 
shall live hereafter ! 

A. We hereby desire, that Christ's kingdom and inter- 
est may be propagated and advanced in the world, until 
his second coming, Ps. cii. 18. John xvii. 20. 

Q,. 37. For whom are we not to pray 1 

A. We are not to pray " for the dead, 2 Sam. xii. 23 ; nor 
for those that are known to have sinned the sin unto death, 
1 John v. 16."* 

Q,. 38. Why should we not pray for the dead 1 

A. Because at death the state of every man and woman 
is unalterably fixed, Luke xvi. 22, 27. 

Q. 39. How may those be known, who have sinned the 
sin unto death 1 

A. By their rejection of the gospel which they once pro- 
fessed to embrace ; by their malice and envy against Christ, 
and the way of salvation through him ; by their treating 
* Larger Catechism, Quest. 183. 



216 



OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



the convincing evidences of Christianity, and the peculiar 
doctrines of it, w.«th blasphemy and contempt ; and by 
their rooted hatred of all religion, and the professors of it. 

Q,. 40. Why are we not to pray for those, who are 
known to have sinned this sin 3 

A. Because the sin against the Holy Ghost is declared, 
in scripture, to be unpardonable, (Matt xii. 31, 32 ;) in re- 
gard it is a wilful and blasphemous opposition to the testi- 
mony of the Spirit of God concerning Christ, as the only 
way of salvation, Luke xii. 10.* 

Q,. 41. " For what things are we to pray 1" 

A. " For all things tending to the gloiy of God, the wel- 
fare of the church, our own or others' good, but not for 
any thing that is unlawful." f 

Q,. 42. " How are we to pray ]" 

A. " We are to pray — with understanding, faith, sincer- 
ity, fervency, love, and perseverance." X 

Q,. 43. W r hat is it to pray with understanding 1 

A. It is to have some knowledge of God, who is the 
object of prayer, Ps. lxv. 2 ; of our own necessities, which 
are the subject-matter of it, Ps. Ix. 11; and of the promises, 
which are our encouragement in it, Num. xiv. 17 — 19. 

Q,. 44. What is it to pray in faith 1 

A. It is to believe that we receive the promised blessings 
we ask, because he has said, " What things soever ye de- 
sire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye 
shall have them," Matt. xi. 24. 

Q,. 45. What is it to pray with sincerity and fervency 1 

A. It is to have the heart and affections earnestly intent 
upon what we are praying for, Ps. xvii. 1 ; " O Lord, attend 
unto my cry ; give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out 
of feigned lips." 

Q,. 46. What is that love to God, which should be exer- 
cised in prayer 1 

A. It is an ardent desire of his presence, Ps. xxvii. 9 ; 
and an unfeigned delight in him, as the most amiable and 
soul-satisfying object, Ps. Ixxiii. 25. 

Q. 47. What is it to pray with perseverance '! Eph. vi. 18. 

A. It is to continue instant in prayer, as the word is 
rendered, Rom. xii. 12 ; or, to bear up against all discour- 
agements, and not to give over, though we have not a 
speedy answer or return, Matt. xv. 22 — 29. 

Q,. 48. Is there any difference between praying with 
perseverance, and praying always, or without ceasing 1 1 
Thess. v. 17. 

A. The difference may lie in this, that to pray with per- 

* See a farther account of the sin against the Holy Ghost, Part I. On 
the head of Sin in General, 
t Larger Catechism, Quest. 184. $ Ibid. Quest. 185. 



OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



217 



severance, is not to become weary of the duty, or desist 
from it, though we do not immediately obtain what we are 
praying for; but to pray always, or without ceasing, is to 
study to maintain a praying frame, Ps. lxxiii. 23, and not 
to neglect the seasons of prayer, as they recur, Ps. lxi. 2. 

Q. 49. What are the several kinds of prayer mentioned 
in scripture 1 

A. They are commonly ranked under these three, name- 
]y, secret, private, and public prayer. 
Q,. 50. What is secret prayer 1 

A. It is the retirement of individuals, or single persons, 
from all company with others, for a time, that they may 
have free and familiar intercourse with God by themselves, 
Matt. vi. 6 : " But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 
closet ; and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Fa- 
ther which is in secret." 

Q,. 51. Is secret prayer incumbent on every Christian ] 

A. Yes ; because every Christian has his own particu- 
lar wants to be supplied, Ps. Ixx. 5; doubts to be solved, 
Isa. xxxviii. 1 4 ; and difficulties to be removed, 2 Cor. xii. 
8, which none but God himself can do, Ps. xxxv. 10. 

Q,. 52. May there not be secret prayer even in company 
with others 1 

A. Yes ; there may be what is ordinarily called ejacula- 
tory prayer. 

Q,. 53. What is ejaculatory prayer 1 

A. It is a secret and sudden lifting up of the soul's desires 
to God, upon any emergency that may occur in providence. 

Q,. 54. How may we engage in this kind of prayer ] 

A. Either by a simple thought darted up to heaven, as it 
would seem Nehemiah did, chap. ii. 4 ; or by words uttered 
in the mind, yet so as the voice cannot be heard, as we 
read that Hannah did, 1 Sam. i. 13. 

Q,. 55. With wiiat success have these ejaculatory breath- 
ings of the soul met ] 

A. They have met with very quick and happy returns, 
as in the instance of Moses, who, in the midst of the peo- 
ple's murmuring at the Red Sea, despatched his desires to 
heaven, in some short ejaculation, to which the Lord gave 
a present return, Ex. xiv. 15: " Wherefore criest thou un- 
to me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go for- 
ward." And the sons of Reuben, &c, when fighting with 
the Hagarites, 1 Chron. v. 20: "They cried to God in the 
battle, and he was entreated of them." 

Q,. 56. What is the usefulness of ejaculatory prayer 1 

A. It tends to maintain fellowship with God, without 
any interruption of our lawful callings, Ps. lxxiii. 23. It is 
also a mean to repel sudden temptations, 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9 ; 
and to dispose the heart for a more solemn performance of 

Part II. — 19 



218 



OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



the stated duties of prayer and praise in the season of 
them, Ps. xlii. verses 6th and 8th compared. 
Q. 57. What is private prayer 1 

A. It is prayer among a few Christians, met together for 
joining in that solemn exercise, Rom. xvi. 5. 
Q,. 58. How is it commonly distinguished 1 
A. Into family,* and social prayer. 
Q,. 59. What is social prayer 1 

A. It is to pray in a fellowship society of Christians, out 
of several families, intermixed with spiritual conference 
upon soul-edifying subjects ; and that at such times as 
they mutually agree among themselves, Mai. iii. 16, 

Q,. 60. What is public prayer 1 

A. It is the solemn worshipping of God by the church, 
in her public assemblies, in which a pastor, or one author- 
ized to preach the gospel, is always the mouth of the peo- 
ple to God, Acts xx. 36. 

Q,. 61. What is it to join in private or public prayer, 
where one is the mouth of the rest ? 

A. It is to offer up the desires that come from the mouth 
of the speaker, (for things agreeable to God's will,) as if ut- 
tered by ourselves. 

Q,. 62. What is incumbent on those who are the mouth 
cf others in prayer to God 1 

A. They are called, to take very special care, that their 
prayers be regulated exactly by the revealed will of God ; 
in which case all present will be encouraged to join in 
every part of the duty. 

Q. 63. What is requisite for joining in prayer in a right 
manner ] 

A. It is highly requisite, in order to this, that there be 
close attention without wandering, Acts ii. 42 : " And they 
continued steadfastly in — prayers ;" that there be a lively 
faith, without doubting, James i. 6 ; and a series of ejacu- 
lation concurring with the words of God that may be 
spoken, 1 Chron. xvi. 36. 

Q,. 64. What is the second part of prayer mentioned in 
the answer % 

A. It is [confession of our sins.] 

Q,. 65. Why is confession of sin mentioned as a part of 
prayer ? 

A. Because, being sinners, we cannot pray in faith for 
any promised mercy, without acknowledging our unwor- 
thiness of it ; or that it is infinitely above our desert, Dan. 
ix. 18. 

Q,. 66. What then does the confession of sin necessarily 
suppose 1 

A. It supposes guilt, and deserved punishment on ac- 
count of it, Ezra ix. 13. 
* About family prayer, see on the head Of Sanctifying the Sabbath. 



OF THE NATURE OF PRAYER. 



219 



Q,. 67. Why is confession of sin necessary in prayer 1 
A. Because we cannot be cordial and hearty in asking 

forgiveness of our sins, unless we are some way affected 

by a sense of them, Ps. xxv. 11. 
Q,. 68. For what end should we confess our sins in 

prayer ) 

A. That God may be justified, and have the glory of his 
judgments, as being all of them just and righteous, Ps. li. 
4 ; and that we may be humbled, and disposed to receive 
undeserved favours with gratitude, Ps. xxxii. 5. 

Q,. 69. In what manner should we confess our sins ? 

A. With grief and hatred of them, Luke xviii. 13; and 
with full purpose (in the strength of grace) to forsake them, 
Job xxxiv. 32. 

Q. 70. What is the third part of prayer mentioned in 
the answer ? 

A. It is a [thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.] 
Q,. 71. Are prayer and thanksgiving joined together in 
scripture'? 

A. Yes ; Ps. cxvi. 17 : "I will offer to thee the sacrifice 
of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord." 
Q,. 72. What is the subject-matter of thankfulness 1 
A. It is [mercies,] or benefits, whether offered or received. 
Q.. 73. Why are the blessings we want called mercies 1 
A. Because having made ourselves miserable by sin, we 
are most unworthy and undeserving of them, Gen. xxxii. 10. 
Q,. 74. Why called [his] mercies 1 

A. Because God himself is the author of them, and they 
are his free gift to us, 1 Tim. vi. 17. 

Q,. 75. For what mercies ought we to be thankful ! 

A. Both for temporal and spiritual ; common and special 
mercies, Ps. cxlv. 9. 

Q,. 76. What is the best evidence of thankfulness to God 
for nis mercies of any kind] 

A. It is to be thankful for Christ, his unspeakable gift, 2 
Cor. ix. 15. 

Q. 77. When ought we to make thankful acknowledg- 
ment to God for his mercies 1 

A. At all times, and on all occasions; there being no 
condition of life, but what has some mixture of mercy 
in it, Job xi. 6. Ps. ci. 1. 

Q. 78. Is there ground of thankfulness under afflictions 
or chastisements ] 

A. " Though no chastening for the present— be joyous, 
but grievous ; nevertheless " it is ground of thankfulness, 
if " afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteous- 
ness," and " be for our profit, and that we may be parta- 
kers of his holiness," Heb. xii. 10, 11. 

Q,. 79. Why ought prayer to be joined with a thankful 
acknowledgment of God's mercies 1 



220 



OF DIRECTION IN PRAYER. 



A. That the mercies we receive may be blessed to us in 
the use of them ; and that we may not, by our ingratitude, 
provoke God to deny us the mercies we may ask for the 
future, Isa. i. 15. 

Q,. 80. How may we know if our prayers are accepted 
and heard 1 

A. If we have been helped to enlargement and importu- 
nity in prayer, and yet have attained to a holy submission 
to the will of God, as to the particular we were asking, it 
is a good evidence that he has heard the voice of our sup- 
plication, 1 Chron. xx. 12, 17. 

Q,. 81. How may we know whether mercies come to us 
in the course of common providence, or as an answer to 
prayer? 

A. This may be known both from the manner, and from 
the time, in which mercies are received. 

Q,. 82. How may it appear from the manner in which 
mercies are received, that they are in answer to our 
prayers 3 

A. It may be known by these two signs ; namely, if the 
mercy be granted speedily and unexpectedly, Isa. lxv. 24 ; 
and other mercies are conferred together with, and over 
and above that which we desired, 1 Kings iii. 12, 13. 

Q. 83. How may it be known from the time in which 
mercies are received, that they are given in return of 
prayer 1 

A. If they are granted at the time when we need them 
most, or at the time when we are most earnest and impor- 
tunate about them; as Peter's deliverance from prison 
was on the very night which Herod had determined should 
be his last; and likewise when the church was assembled 
to wrestle in prayer for him, Acts xii. 6, 7, 12. 

Q,. 84. Why does the Lord delay mercies, which he de- 
signs afterwards to confer ? 

A. He delays granting them, that we may be the more 
thankful for them when they come ; and in the mean time 
to make us more assiduous and ardent supplicants for 
them, 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. 



Quest. 99. What rule hath God given for our direc- 
tion in prayer ? 

Ans. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in 
prayer ; but the special rule of direction, is that form of 
prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called 
The Lord's Prayer. 



OF DIRECTION IN PRAYER. 



221 



Q,. 1. Why do we need [direction] in prayer ! 

A. Because man is naturally a stranger, both to God 
and himself; being ignorant both of the glorious perfec- 
tions of God, Rom. hi. 11; and of his own sins and wants, 
Rev. hi. 17. 

Q,. 2. From whence are we to take direction in prayer ! 

A. From [the whole word of God] which is [of use to 
direct us] therein. 

Q,. 3. Is every part of the word of equal use for our di- 
rection in prayer ? 

A. Though " all things in the scripture are not alike 
plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all ;" * yet there 
is no part of the word from whence an intelligent person 
in the due use of the ordinary means, may not gather 
something that may be proper matter either for petition, 
confession, or thanksgiving in prayer, 1 John v. 14. 

Q,. 4. Of what use in prayer, are the sins of which we 
read in scripture, that other churches before us have been 
guilty of, and the judgments which have been inflicted for 
the same 1 

A. They are of use to direct us to pray, that the Lord 
would keep his church and people, in the day in which we 
live, from running into the same snares, and thus expos- 
ing themselves to the same judgments, 1 Cor. x. 11. 

Q,. 5. Of what use in prayer are the doctrines of the 
word in general 1 

A. They are of use to instruct us in the principles of 
religion, or chain of divine truth ; without some know- 
ledge of which, it is impossible to pray to the edification, 
either of ourselves or others, Rom. x. 14. 

Q. 6. Of what use is the doctrine of the blessed Trinity, 
in particular, for our direction in prayer] 

A. It is of singular use, to point out the method in which 
we are to hope for the blessings we pray for ; namely, from 
the Father, through Christ, by the Spirit, according to Eph. 
ii. 18: "Through him (that is, through Christ,) we have 
access by one Spirit unto the Father." 

Q,. 7. Of what use are the offices of Christ, for our di- 
rection in prayer 1 

A. They are of use to us to direct us to pray, that, of 
God he may be made unto us wisdom, as a prophet ; right- 
eousness, as a priest ; sanctification, as a king ; and com- 
plete redemption, as being all the three in one person, 1 
Cor. i. 30. 

Q. 8. Of what use are the promises for this end? 

A. They contain the very matter of prayer; and the 
pleading of them by faith, as also the right manner in 
which the duty should be performed, James i. 6. 



* Confession of Faith, chap. i. $ 7. 
19* 



222 



OF DIRECTION IN PRAYER. 



Q,. 9. What is [the special rule of direction] for the duty 

of prayer] 

A. It is [that form of prayer which Christ taught his dis- 
ciples, commonly called, The Lord's Prayer.] 

Q. 10. Why is this called [the special rule] of direction? 

A. Because there is not any one portion of scripture, 
where the petitionary part of prayer is so comprehen- 
sively and methodically laid down, as in the Lord's prayer. 

Q,. 11. Could Christ use this prayer for himself) 

A. No ; he could not put up the fifth petition, Forgive 
us our debts ; because he had no sins of his own to for- 
give, being 1 separate from sinners, Heb. vii. 26. 

Q,. 12. Why then is it [commonly called the Lord's 
Prayer ?] 

A. Because it was dictated by him to his disciples, in 
answer to their request, Luke xi. 1: " Lord, teach us to 
pray, as John also taught his disciples." 

Q,. 13. Did Christ prescribe this prayer as a form, or as 
a pattern 1 

A. He prescribed it as a pattern, for direction in the 
duty of prayer, Matt. vi. 9 : " After this manner pray ye." 

Q,. 14. What is the difference between a form and a pat- 
tern of prayer ? 

A. A form of prayer is a certain mode of expression, 
which must be used without the least variation ; whereas 
a pattern is only a directory as to the matter, leaving the 
suppliant himself to clothe his desires with such words as 
are most adapted to his present circumstances. 

Q,. 15. Why then is the Lord's prayer called, in the an- 
swer, [that form of prayer which Christ taught his dis- 
ciples ?] 

A. Because the words of this prayer, " may be used as 
a prayer" to God, equally with other scriptures, " so that 
it be done with understanding, faith, reverence, and other 
graces necessary to the right performance of the duty of 
prayer." * 

Q,. 16. How does it appear, that this prayer is not de- 
signed for a form to the precise words of which Christ's 
disciples and followers are to be tied strictly down, in all 
after as:es 1 

A. This plainly appears, from its not containing express- 
ly all the parts of prayer ; and from its not being related by 
Matthew and Luke in the same manner. 

Q,. 17. What are those parts of prayer which are not ex- 
pressly contained in the Lord's prayer ? 

A. They are the confession of our sins, and the thankful 
acknowledgment of God's mercies : neither of which are 
in express terms, but by consequence only, contained in 
the said prayer. 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 187. 



OF DIRECTION IN PRAYER. 



223 



Q, 18. From what part of this prayer may confession of 
sins be deduced ! 

A. From the fifth petition ; for, when we pray, Forgive 
us our debts, we, by consequence, confess that we have 
debts to be forgiven. 

Q,. 19. How is a thankful acknowledgment of mercies 
included in the Lord's prayer I 

A. When we pray, Hallowed be thy name, we, of conse- 
quence, make a thankful acknowledgment of all those 
known instances, in which God's name has been glorified ; 
and when we pray, Give us this day our daily bread, we 
acknowledge the bounty of his providence, which has 
hitherto so kindly supplied our wants. 

Q,. 20. How do the evangelists, Matthew and Luke, 
differ, as to the manner in which they relate this prayer ? 

A. Though there be a perfect harmony between them, 
as to the sense or matter of the prayer ; yet there is some 
difference as to the mode of expression, particularly in 
the fourth and fifth petitions. 

Q,. 21. How do they differ in the fourth petition? 

A. Matthew has it, Give us this day our daily bread, 
chap. vi. 11; Luke, Give us day by day our daily bread, 
chap. xi. 3. 

Q,. 22. What is the meaning of " give us this day f 
A. It is a petition of what we want at present. 
Q. 23. What is imported in " give us day by day I" 
A. The expression imports, that the wants, which need 

to be supplied, will daily recur. 
Q. 24. How do the two evangelists differ, as to their 

manner of expressing the fifth petition T 

A. Matthew says, Forgive us our debts as we forgive 

our debtors, chap. vi. 12 ; Luke expresses it, Forgive us 

our sins, as we forgive every one that is indebted to us, 

chap. xi. 4. 

Q,. 25. How do they differ as to the conclusion 1 

A. Matthew has it ; Luke leaves it oat. 

Q,. 26. What is the argument from all this, against the 
Lord's prayer being designed for a set form ? 

A. The argument is, that if it had been designed for a 
set form, the two evangelists would have expressed it in 
the very same words, without the least variation. 
. Q,. 27. What argument is there from the practice of the 
apostles against its being a set form ? 

A. That though several prayers of theirs are recorded 
in the New Testament, yet none of them use the express 
words of the Lord's prayer. 

Q,. 28. Would it not seem that this prayer is commanded 
to be used as a form, from our Lord's prefixing these 
words to it : When ye pray, say, Our Father, &c. 1 Luke 
xi. 2. 



224 



OF THE PREFACE OF THE LORD S PRAYER. 



A. No more can be intended by this expression in Luke, 
When ye pray, say, than what is meant in the parallel 
place, Matt. vi. 9 : After this manner pray ye ; namely, to 
use the Lord's prayer as a directory ; otherwise, Luke's 
form, and not Matthew's, should be followed. 

Q. 29. May none, at any rate, use set forms, however 
sound S 

A. If set forms are sound, or agreeable to the will of 
God, they may be used by children, or such as are weak 
in knowledge, till they acquire some insight in the princi- 
ples of religion ; and then they ought to be laid aside, and 
extemporary prayer practised and improved. 

Q,. 30. But may not they, who are weak in knowledge, 
read sound forms as their prayers to God ] 

A. No ; they ought to repeat them, because the commit- 
ting of them to memory wUl tend to imprint the matter of 
them more deeply on the mind, than the bare reading can 
possibly do : besides, there is not the least shadow of an 
example in scripture, for reading prayers to God on any 
account whatsoever. 

Q,. 31. Why is the continued practice of set forms un- 
warrantable ? 

A. Because the case and circumstances of the church in 
general, and every member of it, in particular, are so ex- 
ceedingly various, that it is impossible any set form can 
correspond to them. Moreover, the continued practice of 
a set form, as it encourages sloth, so is an overlooking the 
aid of the Spirit, whose office it is to help our infirmities, 
when we know not what we should pray for as we ought, 
Rom. viii. 26. 

Q,. 32. " Of how many parts does the Lord's prayer 

consist?" 

A. The Lord's prayer consists of three parts, a " pre- 
face, petitions, and a conclusion." * 



Quest. 100. What doth the preface of the Lord's 
prayer teach us ? 

Ans. The preface of the Lord's prayer (which is, Our 
Father which art in heaven,) teacheth us, to draw near to^ 
God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children 
to a Father, able and ready to help us ; and that we should 
pray with and for others. 

Q,. 1. In what words is the [preface] of the Lord's pray- 
er contained 1 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 188. 



OF THE PREFACE OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. 225 

A. It is contained in these words, [Our Father which art 
in heaven.] 

Q,. 2. What is the end and design of this preface 1 

A. It is to give us a directory how to invoke or address 
the true object of all religious worship. 

Q,. 3. What is it to invoke or address God in prayer] 

A. It is, in a believing and reverential manner, to make 
mention of some of his names, titles, or attributes, in a 
suitableness to the nature of the duty in which we are en- 
gaged : as in 1 Kings viii. 23. Dan. ix. 4. 

Q,. 4. Whom do we invoke, or call upon, when we ad- 
dress the [Father.] 

A. We invoke the Three-one God; because though 
each person of the Trinity be the object of worship, 2 Cor. 
xiii. 14; yet when any of these adorable persons is ad- 
dressed, we are, in our minds, to include the other two ; 
in as much as the very same divine nature and essence is 
in them all, 1 Chron. xxix. 10. 

Q,. 5. Why are we directed to address the Three-one God 
as a Father 7 

A. To teach us, that the object of true and acceptable 
worship is a reconciled God, Ps. cxxx. 4. 

Q. 6. In what respect is God called a Father, with refer- 
ence to men ! 

A. He is called a Father, with reference to them, either 
in respect of creation, external covenant-relation, or the 
grace of adoption. 

Q,. 7. To whom is he a Father in respect of creation ? 

A. In this respect he is a Father to all mankind in gen- 
eral, Mai. ii. 10. 

Q,. 8. To whom is he a Father in respect of external 
covenant relation ] 

A. To all the members of the visible church, or such as 
profess the true religion, and their children, 2 Cor. vi. 18. 

Q,. 9. To whom is he a Father in respect of the grace of 
adoption 1 

A. To believers only, or such as are " the children of 
God by faith in Christ Jesus," Gal. iii. 26. 

Q,. 10. May not every one who hears the gospel war- 
rantably cry to God, My Father, according to Jer. iii. 4 1 

A. No doubt but it is their duty to do so, upon the call 
and command of God ; but none will actually do it in faith, 
but they into whose hearts " God hath sent forth the Spirit 
of his Son," Gal. iv. 6. 

Gl. 11. What are we taught, when we are directed to 
invoke God in prayer, by the title of Father] 

A. We are hereby taught, [to draw near to God— as 
children to a Father.] 

Q,. 12. In what manner should God's children draw near 
to him as their Father ] 



226 OP THE PREFACE OP THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

A. [With all holy reverence and confidence.] 

Q. 13. Why called [holy reverence '?] 

A. To distinguish it from that dutiful regard and re- 
spect which children owe to their parents by the dictates 
of nature's light. 

Q,. 14. In what consists the nature of this [holy rever- 
ence 1] 

A. It consists in a most profound inward esteem of God, 
as a Father, accompanied with " other child-like disposi- 
tions," * becoming that relation, Isa. lxiv. 9. 

Q. 1 5. What are these other child-like dispositions, which 
accompany the reverence with which God's children ap- 
proach him 1 

A. Among others, there are patience under his rebukes, 
Mic. vii. 9 ; obedience to his commands, Acts ix. 6 ; and a 
fervent zeal for his honour and glory, Mai. i. 6. 

Q,. 16. What is that [confidence] which God's children 
have in him as their Father] 

A. It is that entire trust they repose in him, as [able and 
ready to help] them. 

Q. 17. Whence are they persuaded of his ability and 
readiness to help them ? 

A. From his all-sufficiency, Luke xi. 13, and boundless 
liberality, Ps. lxxxiv. 11, as laid out in the promise for 
their benefit. 

Q. 18. What help does he afford them'? 

A. Such a help as to do all ; " for it is God that worketh 
in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure," Phil. ii. 13. 

Q,. 19. Why are we directed to address our Father [in 
heaven ?] 

A. To teach us to draw near to him with " heavenly afc 
fections, Lam. iii. 41, and due apprehension of his sove- 
reign power, majesty, and gracious condescension, Isa. 
lxiii. 15, 16." f 

Q,. 20. What does the consideration of his being in heaven 
more particularly teach us ? 

A. It teaches us from whence to expect our blessings 
and benefits, and likewise the manner in which we ought 
to address God for them. 

Q,. 21. From whence are we to expect our blessings 1 

A. From above, James i. 17, because they are in heavenly 
places, Eph. i. 3. 

Q,. 22. Why are our blessings said to be in heavenly 
places ? 

A. Because their original is from thence, and there will 
the full enjoyment of them at last be, Ps. xvi. 11. 

Q,. 23. What does the consideration of God's being in 
heaven teach us, with reference to the manner in which 
we ought to address him for our blessings 1 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 189. 



tlbid. 



OF THE FIRST PETITION. 227 

A. It teaches us to be modest, humble, and cautious, in 
our conceptions of, and applications to him ; as being a 
God of such inconceivable greatness, and glorious majesty, 
Eccl. v. 2: " Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine 
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God ; for God is 
in heaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words 
be few." 

Q,. 24. To whom does the relative pronoun [our,] in the 
preface, refer I 

A. It refers both to ourselves and others. 

Q,. 25. What is the import of it as it refers to ourselves ? 

A. When we are directed to say [our Father,] it imports 
the faith and confidence we are warranted to express in 
him, as standing in such an amiable relation. 

Q,. 26. Upon what grounds are we warranted to express 
our faith and confidence in him, as standing in the amiable 
relation of our Father ? „ 

A. Upon the ground of his being the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, Eph. i. 3 ; and upon the ground 
of our new-covenant Head calling him " my Father," in the 
name of all his spiritual seed, Ps. lxxxix. 26 : He shall cry 
unto me, Thou art my Father, 

Q,. 27. What do these words, our Father, import, as they 
have a respect to others I 

A. They import [that we should pray with and for 
others.] 

Q. 28. What is it to pray [with] others? 

A. It is to be the mouth of others to God, or to join with 
them in family or social worship 

Q,. 29. What is it to pray [for] others? 

A. It is to express our concern about them, or our sym- 
pathy with them before God, as sincerely and ingenuously, 
as would do with reference to ourselves, were we in 
the same circumstances, Ps. xxxv. 13. 

Q,. 30. Who are these [others] for whom we should pray ? 

A. We should pray for all men, 1 Tim. ii. 1 ; yea, for 
them which despitefully use us and persecute us, Matt. v. 
44 ; but especially for all saints, Eph. vi. 18. 

Q. 31. Why have all the saints a special claim to our 
prayers ? 

A. Because they are the special favourites of heaven, 
John xv. 9, and therefore the very butt of the keenest re- 
sentment of hell, 1 Pet. v. 8. 



Quest. 101. What do we pray for in the first pe- 
tition 1 

Ans. In the first petition, (which is, Hallowed be thy 



228 



OF THE FIRST PETITION. 



name,) we pray, That God would enable us, and others, to 
glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known 
and that he would dispose all things to his own glory. 

Q,. 1. What is the meaning of the word [petition?] 
A. It signifies asking or desiring any thing. 
Qi, 2. How many petitions are there in the Lord's prayer 1 
A. There are six. 

Q,. 3. In wbat order are these six petitions ranged] 

A. The first three bear a more immediate respect to 

God ; and the last three to ourselves. 
Q,. 4. What are we taught by this order of ranking the 

petitions ] 

A. We are thus taught, first to pray for what concerns 
the glory of God, as being the highest and most valuable 
end ; and then for what respects our own advantage, as 
being only subordinate to it, Matt. vi. 33. 

Q,. 5. Which is the first of these petitions ? 

A. It is in these words, [Hallowed be thy name.] 

Q,. 6. What is signified by the [name] of God in this 
petition 1 

A. It is explained in the answer to be [all that whereby 
he maketh himself known.] 

Q,. 7. What is our duty with reference to this name 
of God? 

A. It is to pray that it may be [hallowed.] 

Q. 8. What is the meaning of the word hallowed? 

A. It is explained in the answer to be the same with 
glorified: when we pray Hallowed be thy name, we pray, 
that God himself may be glorified. 

Q,. 9. By whom should we pray that God's name may be 
hallowed or glorified? 

A. We should pray, that his name may be glorified by 
himself ; and likewise that he [would enable us and others 
to glorify him.] 

Q,. 10. What do we mean, when we pray that God's 
name may be glorified by himself? 

A. We mean, that he would be pleased daily to demon- 
strate it more and more to the world, to be what it really 
is, most holy and most glorious, so as to excite that ado- 
ration and esteem which is due to him : for, says he, " I 
will be sanctified in them that come nigh to me, and be- 
fore all the people will I be glorified," Lev. x. 3. 

Q,. ik Where does he thus demonstrate the glory of his 
own name ? 

A. In his word ; and by his works both of creation and 
providence, particularly by the glorious device of redemp- 
tion. 



OF THE FIRST PETITION. 



229 



Q. 12. What do we acknowledge, when we pray that 
God would enable us and others to glorify him] 

A. We thus acknowledge 44 the utter inability and indis- 
position that is in ourselves and all men, to honour God 
aright, 2 Cor. iii. 5." * 

Q,. 13. What is requisite in order to our honouring God 
aright ? 

A. In order to this, it is requisite that we diligently at- 
tend to the several ways, by which God [maketh himseif 
known,] such as his attributes, ordinances, word, and 
works ; and see if we are studying to glorify him in all 
these. 

Q,. 14. How do we glorify him in his attributes or per- 
fections 1 

A. When we think or speak of them with becoming 
reverence, and endeavour to exercise suitable acts of faith 
upon them ; such as, admiring his wisdom, depending on 
his power, and trusting to his faithfulness, that he will do 
as he has said. 

Q,. 15. How do we glorify him in his ordinances'! 

A. When we attend upon them, and improve them for 
our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace, Ps. lxxxiv. 
10. 

Q,. 16. How do we glorify him in his word 1 
A. When we believe it as the record of God, John xx. 31. 
Q,. 17. How do we glorify him in his work of creation 1 
A. When we apprehend and admire his eternal power 
and Godhead, as shining in it, Rom. i. 20. 

Q,. 18. How do we glorify him in his works of provi- 
dence? 

A. When we have a grateful sense of his mercies, Gen. 
xxxii. 10; and tremble at his judgments, Ps. cxix. 120. 

Q,. 19. How do we honour him in his glorious device of 
redemption ] 

A. When we receive and rest upon Christ alone for sal- 
vation, as he is offered to us in the gospel, Acts xv. 11. 

Q. 20. What do we mean, when we pray that God would 
enable [others] to glorifv him, as well as ourselves] 

A. We thus, in effect, pray, that the earth may be full 
of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, 
Isa. xi. 9 ; that so from the uttermost parts of the earth 
may be heard songs, even glory to the righteous, chap, 
xxiv. 16. 

Q,. 21. What are those things we should pray God would 
prevent and remove, that his name may be glorified] 

A. We should pray, " that he would prevent and remove 
atheism, ignorance, idolatry, and whatever is dishonour- 
able to him." f 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 190. 
Part 11—20 



t Ibid. 



230 



OF THE SECOND PETITION. 



Q. 22. What should we pray God would do, in the 

course of his providence, for glorifying his own name? 
A. [That he would dispose all things to his own glory.] 
Q. 23. How does God dispose all things to his own glory] 
A. By bringing a revenue of glory to himself, even out 

of those things that seem most opposite to it, Isa. xliii. 20. 
Q. 24. What are these seemingly opposite things, out of 

which God brings a revenue of glory to himself? 
A. Among others, there are persecutions and the falls 

of believers. 

Q,. 25. How does he bring a revenue of glory to him- 
self out of persecutions] 

A. By overruling them to the furtherance of the gospel, 
Acts xi. 19—21. 

Q,. 26. How does he bring glory to himself out of the 
falls of believers'? 

A. By overruling their falls and miscarriages, in such a 
manner, as that they are thus made more humble, watch- 
ful, and circumspect, for the future, Ps. li. 3. 



Quest. 102. What do we pray for in tlie second peti- 
tion ? 

Ans. In the second petition, (which is, Thy kingdom 
corned) we pray, That Satan's kingdom may be destroyed ; 
and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, our- 
selves and others brought into it, and kept in it ; and that 
the kingdom of glory may be hastened. 

Q. 1. How many fold is God's [kingdom] in this world ] 

A. Twofold; namely, his general, essential, or provi- 
dential kingdom ; and his special kingdom. 

Q,. 2. What is his general kingdom i 

A: It is the absolute power and sovereignty which he 
exercises over all things in heaven, earth, and hell, for the 
purposes of his own glory, Ps. ciii. 19: "His kingdom 
ruleth over all." 

Q,. 3. What is his special kingdom ? 

A. It is the government and care which he exercises in 
and over his church and people, as a society distinct from 
the rest of the world, Ps. lix. 13: "God ruleth in Jacob 
unto the ends of the earth." 

Q. 4. Into whose hands is the management of God's 
special kingdom committed 1 

A. Into the hands of Christ as Mediator, Ps. ii. 6. 

Q,. 5. How is this kingdom, as committed into his hands, 
usually called ! 



OF THE SECOND PETITION. 



231 



A. His mediatory, or donative kingdom. 

Q,. 6. Why called his mediatory kingdom 1 

A. Because he holds it as Mediator, Luke xxii. 29. 

Q,. 7. Why called his donative kingdom! 

A. Because it is given him of the Father as a reward of 
his meritorious obedience and sufferings, Matt, xxviii. 18; 
and to distinguish it from his essential kingdom. 

Q,. 8. May his essential kingdom be said to be given 
him? 

A. By no means ; because it is natural to him, as God 
equal with the Father, and can no more be given him than 
his divine nature and personality can. 

Q. 9. For what are we directed to pray in this petition, 
with reference to God's kingdom in general! 

A. That it may come: [Thy kingdom come.] 

Q,. 10. In what sense may we pray for the coming of his 
essential kingdom ? 

A. Only in this sense, that he would more and more 
demonstrate his supreme power and sovereignty over all 
things, and that the same may be more and more acknow- 
ledged by the children of men, Ps. lxxxiii. 18. 

Q, 11. Would it be warrantable for us to pray, that he 
would govern the w T orld, or actually exercise his supreme 
power 1 

A. It would be no more warrantable to pray for this, 
than to pray that he would be an infinite Sovereign, which 
he cannot but be ; and act agreeably to his nature, which 
he cannot but do. 

Q,. 12. Whether is it the coming of God's general or spe- 
cial kingdom that is chiefly intended in the answer! 

A. It is the coming of his special kingdom of grace here, 
and of glory hereafter. 

Q,. 13. Are the kingdoms of grace and glory different 
kingdoms ! 

A. They are not so much different kingdoms, as differ- 
ent states in the same kingdom : according to the common 
maxim, Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace consum- 
mated, or in perfection. 

Q,. 14. How may the kingdom of grace in this world be 
viewed ! 

A. Either as to outward dispensation, or inward opera- 
tion. 

Q. 15. What is it as to outward dispensation! 

A. It is just the preaching of the gospel, Mark i. 14 : 
"Jesus came, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of 
God." 

Q,. 16. What is it as to inward operation ! 
A. It is the work of saving grace in the soul, Luke xvii. 
21: "Behold, the kingdom of God is within you." 
Q,. 17. Why called [the kingdom of grace !] 



232 



OF THE SECOND PETITION. 



A. Because the gathering of sinners into this kingdom, 
for their salvation, is of grace, both as to the means and 
end, Eph. ii. 8. 

Q,. 1 8. What do we pray for with reference to the king- 
dom of grace, when we say, Thy kingdom come ! 

A. We do not pray that it may be erected as a new 
thing in the world, but that it may be [advanced] in it. 

Q. 19. Why should we not pray, that Christ's kingdom 
of grace may be erected or set up as a new thing in the 
world 1 

A. Because this would be, in effect, to deny that Christ 
had ever a church upon this earth ; whereas, it is most 
certain, that ever since the first promise, he has always 
had a church in it, and will have it to the end of time, Isa. 
lix. 21. 

Q,. 20. But is it not our duty to pray, that the kingdom 
of grace may be set up in those parts of the world where 
it is not at present 7 

A. To be sure it is ; for we should pray, " That the word 
of the Lord may have free course and be glorified," 2 
Thess. iii. 1; and that the earth may " be full of the know- 
ledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," Isa. xi. 9 ; 
which is the same with praying, That the kingdom of 
grace may be advanced. 

Q,. 21. For what should we pray as pre-requisite to the 
advancing of the kingdom of grace 1 

A. In order to this, we should pray, [That Satan's king- 
dom may be destroyed.] 

Q,. 22. What is the meaning of the name Satan ? 

A. It is a Hebrew word, signifying an adversary ; as, 
indeed, the devil is an implacable adversary, burning with 
hatred and enmity both against God, and therefore called 
his enemy, Matt. xiii. 25, and against man, 1 Pet. v. 8 : 
Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, 
seeking whom he may devour. 

Q,. 23. What do you understand by [Satan's kingdom?] 

A. That power and dominion which he usurps over 
mankind sinners, who are by nature lawful captives, Isa. 
xlix. 24, 25. 

Q,. 24. If sinners of mankind are by nature lawful cap- 
tives, how can Satan's dominion over them be said to be 
usurped ? 

A. Though they be justly delivered into his hands, as a 
jailor, yet he has no right to rule over them as a prince. 

Q,. 25. Do they not voluntarily subject themselves to his 
dominion ] 

A. Yes ; and this is both their sin and their judgment, 
John viii. 44. 

Q,. 26 What is the principal seat of Satan's kingdom ] 



OP THE SECOND PETITION 



233 



A. The heart of every man and woman by nature, Eph. 
ii. 2. 

Q. 27. What is the foundation and bulwark of this king- 
dom] 

A. Sin, both original and actual, Eph. ii. 3. 
Q,. 28. For what should we pray, with reference to this 
kingdom of Satan I 
A. That it [may be destroyed.] 

Q,. 29. Why should we pray for the destruction of this 
kingdom] 

A. Because the work of grace cannot take place, nor 
succeed in the soul, except upon the ruins of Satan's in- 
terest in it, Luke xi. 21, 22. 

Q,. 30. How then is Satan's kingdom destroyed in the 
world ] 

A. By the advancement of the kingdom of grace in it. 
Q,. 31. When may the kingdom of grace be said to be 
[advanced ]] 

A. When [ourselves and others are brought into it, and 
kept in it.] 

Q,. 32. How are we and others [brought] into this king- 
dom] 

A. By the gracious influences of the Spirit of God, 
accompanying the dispensation of the gospel with irresis- 
tible power, Ps. ex. 2, 3. 

Q,. 33. How are we and others [kept in it ]] 

A. By continued emanations of grace out of the fulness 
of Christ, by which the principle of grace is quickened, 
strengthened, and preserved, Hos. xiv. 5. 

Q,. 34. For what should we pray, as the means of bring- 
ing into this kingdom ] 

A. We should pray, " that the gospel may be propaga- 
ted throughout the world, the Jews called, the fulness of 
the Gentiles brought in ; that the ordinances of Christ may 
be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting 
of those that are yet in their sins." * 

Q,. 35. For what should we pray as means of being kept 
in it] 

A. That the same ordinances may be effectual to the 
" confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are 
already converted." f 

Q,. 36. Can any subject of this kingdom ever apostatize 
from it ] 

A. No ; they are " kept by the power of God, through 
faith unto salvation," 1 Pet. i. 5. 

Q,. 37. Why then should we pray to be kept in it] 
A. Because perseverance, being a promised privilege, 
should, on that account, be prayed for, Ps. cxix. 28 : 
" Strengthen thou me, according to thy word." 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 191. t Ibid. 

20* 



234 



OF THE THIRD PETITION. 



Q,. 38. What security have the saints that they shall be 
kept in this kingdom ? 

A. They have the stability of the promise, Jer. xxxii. 40 •, 
the efficacy of Christ's obedience to the death in their 
stead, Eph. v. 25 — 27 ; the pre valency of his intercession, 
John xvii. 24 ; and the inhabitation of his Spirit, Rom, viii. 
11, for their security in this matter. 

Q,. 39. What is [the kingdom of glory 1] 

A. It is that state of inconceivable happiness and bliss 
into which the saints shall be brought after death, John 
xiv. 2, 3. 

Q,. 40. In what will the [glory] of this kingdom consist ! 

A. In a perfect conformity to, and the immediate and 
uninterrupted vision and fruition of God through all eter- 
nity, 1 John iii. 2. 

Q,. 41. When will the kingdom of glory come in the full 
manifestation of it ! 

A. At the second coming of Christ to judgment, Matt, 
xxv. 31, 34. 

Q,. 42. For what are we to pray, with reference to this 
kingdom ! 
A. That it [may be hastened.] 

Q,. 43. When we pray that it may be [hastened,] do we 
mean, that the set time for the second coming of Christ may 
be anticipated, or come sooner than the moment fixed for 
it in infinite wisdom 1 

A. No ; we wish it no sooner ; but only express our 
ardent M desire to depart, and to be with Christ ; which is 
far better" than to be here always, Phil. i. 23. 

Q,. 44. Why do the saints so earnestly desire to be with 
Christ in glory ? 

A. That an eternal period may be put to all their sin- 
ning, and to every thing that has a tendency to detract 
from the glory of his kingdom, and the happiness of his 
subjects : wherefore, as he saith, Surely, I come quickly ; 
so they pray, Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus, Rev. 
xxii. 20. 



Quest. 103 What do ice pray for in the third peti- 
tion 1 

A:n t s. In the third petition, (which is, thy will he done 
on earth, as it is in heaven,) we pray, that God, by his 
grace, would make us both able and willing to know, 
obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels 
do in heaven. 



OF THE THIRD PETITION. 



235 



Q. 1. How many fold is the [will] of God ! 

A. Twofold ; his will of purpose, or disposing will ; and 
his will of precept, or revealed will. V 

Q,. 2. What is his will of purpose, or disposing will? 

A. It is what he himself purposes to be done, as the final 
determination of the event of things, Isa. xlvi. 10: "My 
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." 

Q,. 3. How is this will commonly designated ! 

A. It is termed his will of providence, because he infal- 
libly brings it about, or accomplishes it, in the course of 
his adorable providence, Ps. cxxxv. 6. 

Q. 4. What is God's will of precept, or his revealed will 1 

A. It is the rule of our duty, prescribing what he would 
have us to do, or not to do, Matt xxvi. 39 : " O my Father, 
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me : nevertheless, 
not as I will, but as thou wilt." 

Q,. 5. Whether is it God's will of purpose or precept that 
is meant in this petition 1 

A. Both are included, but chiefly his will of precept. 

Q,. 6. When we say, " Thy will be done," for what do 
we pray with reference to God's will of purpose 7 

A. We pray, [that God, by his grace, would make us 
able and willing — to submit] to it, and acquiesce in it, so 
soon as it is discovered or made known to us, Acts xxi. 
14: "And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, 
saying, The will of the Lord be done." 

Q,. 7. What does our praying for submission to God's 
will of purpose or providence, necessarily imply in it] 

A. It implies that we are " by nature — prone to repine 
and murmur against his providence," * especially in afflic- 
tive dispensations, Num. xiv. 2. 

Q,. 8. When do we submit to afflictive dispensations ? 

A. When we justify God in them, Dan. ix. 7; and ac- 
knowledge that he " hath punished us less than our iniqui- 
ties deserve," Ezra ix. 13. 

Q,. 9. For what do we pray, when we pray that God's 
will of precept may be done 7 

A. We pray that God, by his grace, would make us able 
and willing [to know and obey] the same. 

Q,. 10. Why do we pray that God would [make us able 
and willing] to know and obey his revealed will ? 

A. Because, " by nature, we and all men, are not only 
utterly unable and unwilling to know and do the will of 
God; but prone to rebel against his word, — and wholly 
inclined to do the will of the flesh, and of the devil." f 

Q,. 11. Why do we pray that God would make us able 
and willing [by his grace ?] 

A. Because it is wholly of his free love and sovereign 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 192. 



t Ibid. 



236 



OF THE THIRD PETITION. 



grace, that he works in us either to will or to do, Phil. ii. 
13: "It is God which worketh in you, both to will and to 
do of his good pleasure." 

Q,. 12. For what do we pray, when we pray that God 
would make us able and willing to [know] his revealed 
will! 

A. We pray, that, by his Spirit, he would take away our 
natural blindness, and open our understanding, that we 
may understand the scriptures, Luke xxiv. 45. 

Q,. J 3. For what do we pray, when we pray that God 
would make us able and willing to [obey] his will'? 

A. We pray, that he would remove the weakness, indis- 
posedness, and perverseness of our hearts ; and, by his 
grace, incline us to set about, and keep up the practice of 
every commanded duty, in the strength of that grace 
which is secured in the promise, Ezek. xxxvi. 27 : " I will 
cause you to walk in my statutes ;" 2 Cor. xii. 9 : 44 And he 
said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my 
strength is made perfect in weakness." 

Q,. 14. Why is knowing the will of God mentioned be- 
fore the obeying of it 1 

A. Because there can be no true and acceptable obe- 
dience, but what flows from that saving knowledge which 
is inseparable from the faith of God's operation, John xiii. 
17 : 44 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." 

Q,. 15. Where should we desire that the will of God may 
be done 1 

A. We should desire that it may [be done on earth,] by 
all persons, and in all places on it, Ps. cl. 6. 

Q,. 16. In what things should we pray that the will of 
God may be done on earth 1 

A. We should pray that it may be done in [all things,] 
Ps. cxix. 6. 

Q. 1 7. Why in all things ? 

A. Because we may be quite sure, that God's will, both 
of precept and providence, is perfectly, or in every respect, 
equal, and just, Ezek. xviii. 25. 

Q,. 18. Whom should we resemble in our obedience'? 

A. The holy angels : we should study to do the will of 
God [as the angels do in heaven.] 

Q. 19. Can we know and obey the will of God as 
perfectly on earth, as the angels do in heaven? 

A. No : but we should copy after them, as to the manner 
of their obedience. 

Q. 20. What is it to copy after them as to the manner 
of their obedience] 

A. It is to essay obedience "with the like humility, 
cheerfulness, faithfulness, diligence, zeal, sincerity, and con- 
stancy, as the angels do in heaven." * 

* Larger Catechism Q. 192. 



OF THE FOURTH PETITION. 



237 



Quest. 1 04. What do we pray for in the fourth pe- 
tition ? 

Ans. In the fourth petition, (which is, Give us this day 
our daily bread,) we pray, That of God's free gift, we 
may receive a competent portion of the good things of this 
life, and enjoy his blessing with them. 

Q,. 1 What does our Catechism mean by [bread] in this 
petition 1 

A. It explains it to be [the good things of this life.] 
Q,. 2. What do you understand by the good things of 
this life? 

A. Not Only meat and drink ; but clothes to cover us, 
houses to shelter us, sleep to refresh us, and the like; 
which are called things needful to the body, James ii. 16. 

Q,. 3. May not spiritual mercies, or food to our souls, be 
intended by the bread here mentioned % 

A. No: the petition respects temporal mercies, or the 
good things of the present life. 

Q,. 4. How do you prove, that the good things of this 
life, and not spiritual mercies, are intended in this petition ] 

A. From the completeness, and compendiousness of the 
Lord's prayer ; for, it cannot be supposed, that, in a prayer 
so complete, the good things of this life would be quite 
omitted; or, that in a prayer so compendious, spiritual 
mercies would, without necessity, be repeated in this peti- 
tion, when the other petitions are so full of them. 

Q,. 5. Why are these good things called by the general 
name of bread ? 

A. Because, though bread be the most common, yet it is 
the most useful and necessary support of natural life ; and 
therefore called the staff, or stay of bread, Isa. iii. 1. 

Q,. 6. Why called [daily] bread 1 

A. Both because our need of the supports of nature re- 
curs daily ; and likewise to teach us contentment with our 
present allowance in providence, Phil. iv. 11. 

Q,. 7. For what quantity of daily bread, or of the good 
things of this life, may we lawfully pray 7 

A. For a [competent portion] of them. 

Q. 8. What is meant by a competent portion ? 

A. Such a measure of temporal comforts, as our neces- 
sities may require, or will tend to our good, Prov. xxx. 8 : 
"Give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me with food 
convenient for me." 

Q. 9. What is imported in our praying, that God would 
[give] us this competent portion 1 

A. It imports our desire to receive it [of God's free gift.] 



238 



OF THE FOURTH PETITION. 



Q,. 10. What do we acknowledge, when we pray to re- 
ceive temporal comforts of God's free gift? 

A. We thereby acknowledge, that in Adam, and by our 
own sin, we have forfeited our rights to all the outward 
blessings of this life, and deserve to be wholly deprived of 
them by God." * 

Q. 11. How does it appear that we have, by sin, forfeited 
our right to outward blessings } 

A. It appears from this, that we have thereby forfeited 
our life itself, Gen. ii. 17 ; and, therefore, by necessary con- 
sequence, all the supports of it, Jer. v. 25. 

Q,. 12. Why do we say, [Give us this day?] 

A. Because if God shall be pleased to afford us the neces- 
sary supplies of each day, when it comes, we ought not to 
be anxiously soJicitous about to-morrow, Matt. vi. 34. 

Q. 13. May we not lawfully pray for what respects the 
future condition of ourselves, or families, in this world ! 

A. Yes ; if God shall continue us, or them, in life, then, 
in this case, we may lawfully beg of him, that neither we, 
nor they, may ever be destitute of what is necessary for 
our glorifying God, in the respective stations, in which he 
has, or may place us while in it, Gen. xxviii. 20 — 22. 

Q,. 14. Does God's giving us our daily bread, exclude 
the use of means for the obtaining of it t 

A. No : for, " if any provide not for his own, and spe- 
cially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, 
and is worse than an infidel," 1 Tim. v. 8. 

Q,. 15. May we not then ascribe our daily bread to our 
own diligence and industry? 

A. No : because it is God who gives us ability to pursue 
our respective callings, and it is he who succeeds our law- 
ful endeavours in them, Deut. viii. 17, 18: "Thou shalt 
remember the Lord thy God ; for it is he that giveth thee 
power to get wealth." 

Q. 16. Why do we say, Give us {our] daily bread? why 
do we call it ours ? 

A. Because whatever measure or proportion of outward 
blessings, God in his providence, thinks fit we should re- 
ceive, is properly ours, whether it be more or less, 1 Tim. 
vi. 8 : " Having food and raiment, let us therewith be con- 
tent." 

Q,. 17. Since both the godly and the wicked have their 
daily provision from God, what difference is there as to 
the manner in which the one and the other hold their out- 
ward comforts 1 

A. There is a wide difference as to the manner in which 
the godly and the wicked hold their outward comforts, 
whether we consider their respective right and title ; their 
present enjoyment ; or their future expectation. 

* Larger Catechism Q. 193. 



OF THF FIFTH PETITION. 



239 



Q, 18. What is the difference as to their respective right 
and title 1 

A. The wicked have only a civil and common right; 
but the godly have, besides this, a spiritual and covenant 
right also, 1 Tim. iv. 8. 

Q,. 19. What is the difference as to their present enjoy- 
ment] 

A. The godly have God's blessing on what they pre- 
sently enjoy ; but the wicked his curse. In this respect, 
"a little that a righteous man hath, is better than the 
riches of many wicked," Ps. xxxvii. 16. 

Q,. 20. What is the difference as to their future expecta- 
tion] 

A. The godly have the good things of this world, as 
pledges of the far better things of another ; but the wicked 
have them as their whole pay ; for they have their portion 
in this life, Ps. xvii. 14. 

Q,. 21. For what should we pray in order to have the 
comfortable use of the good things of this life, which God 
may confer upon us ] 

A. That we may [enjoy his blessing with them.] 

Q,. 22. Why is the blessing of God necessary to all our 
outward comforts] 

A. Because without this none of them could reach the 
end for which they are used : our food could not nourish 
us, nor our clothes warm us, nor medicines, however skil- 
fully applied, give any relief from our ailments, Job xx. 
22, 23. 

Q,. 23. Will God's blessing make the meanest fare an- 
swer the end of comfortable nourishment ] 

A. Yes ; as is evident from the example of Daniel, and 
the other three children of the captivity, who desired to be 
proved ten days, with no better cheer than pulse and 
water : *• And at the end of ten days, their countenances 
appeared fairer and fatter in flesh, than all the children 
which did eat the portion of the king's meat," Dan. i. 
12, 15. 

Q,. 24. Why do we pray in the plural number, Give us! 

A. To express a concern for the good things of this life 
to the rest of our fellow-creatures, as well as to ourselves, 
1 Kings viii. 35-40. 



Quest. 105. What do we pray for in the fifth pe- 
tition ? 

Ans. In the fifth petition, (which is, And forgive us 
our debts, as we forgive our debtors,) we pray, That 



240 



OF THE FIFTH PETITION. 



God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon all our sins ; 
which we are the rather encouraged to ask, because, by 
his grace, we are enabled, from the heart, to forgive 
others. 

Q. 1. Why is this petition connected with the former, by 
the copulative conjunction [and ?] 

A. To teach us, that we can have no outward comfort 
with God's blessing, unless our sins are pardoned, and our 
persons accepted in Christ, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. 

Q,. 2. What are we to understand by [debts] in this pe- 
tition'? 

A. By debts we are to understand our sins, whether 
original or actual, of omission or commission, Luke xi. 4. 

Q. 3. Why are these called debts ? 

A. Because of the debt of punishment we owe to the 
justice of God, on account of them, Rom. vi. 23: "The 
wages of sin is death." 

Q,. 4. Can we pay any part of this debt to the justice of 
God] 

A. No ; " neither we, nor any other creature, can make 
the least satisfaction for it, Ps. cxxx. 3 ;" * or pay the least 
farthing of it, Matt, xviii. 25. 

Q,. 5. What other debt are we naturally owing, besides 
the debt of punishment as transgressors ? 

A. We likewise owe a debt of obedience to the law as a 
covenant; in which we are also utterly insolvent; "being 
unto every good work reprobate," Tit. i. 16. 

Q,. 6. What are we to pray for with reference to our 
sins or debts 1 

A. [That God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon 
them all.] 

Q,. 7. Whose prerogative is it to pardon ] 
A. It is God's only, Micah vii. 18. 

Q. 8. From what spring or fountain in God does pardon 
flow 1 

A. From his own gracious nature, Ps. lxxxvi. 5, and 
sovereign will, Ex. xxxiii. 19. 

a. 9.^What is it for God to [pardon 1] 

A. It is to "acquit us both from the guilt and punish- 
ment of sin, Rom. iii. 26." t 

Q,. 10. For whose sake does he pardon? 

A. Only [for Christ's sake.] 

Q. 11. What is it for God to pardon for Christ's sake? 

A. It is ta vent his pardoning grace " through the obe- 
dience and satisfaction of Christ, apprehended and applied 
by faith, Rom. iii. 25." { 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 194. t Ibid. t Ibid. 



OP THE FIFTH PETITION. 



241 



Q,. 12. Could God pardon sin, without any respect to the 
obedience and satisfaction of Christ ? 

A. No; because justice behoved to be satisfied; for, 
" without shedding of blood is no remission," Heb. ix. 22. 

Q,. 13. What is the extent of pardoning grace] 

A. It extends to [all our sins,] Ps. ciii. 3. 

Q,. 14. In what manner should we expect that God will 
pardon all our sins 1 

A. We should expect that he will do it [freely,] for his 
own name's sake, Ps. xxv. 11. 

Q,. 15. How can God be said to pardon our sins freely, 
when he does it on account of the surety righteousness 
imputed to us 1 

A. God's accepting of Christ as our Surety, and his ful- 
filling all righteousness in our room, were both of them 
acts of rich, free, and sovereign grace, Ps. lxxxix. 19. Luke 
xii. 50. Though the pardon of our sins be of debt to Christ,, 
yet it is free to us, Eph. i. 7. 

Q,. 16. When a believer prays for the forgiveness of his 
daily sins, does he pray for a new and formal pardon of 
them? 

A. Whatever may be the believer's practice as to this 
matter, at some times, through the prevalence of darkness 
and unbelief ; yet it is certain, that the pardon of sin, in 
justification, is one perfect act, completed at once, and 
never needs to be repeated, Micah vii. 19: "Thou wilt 
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." 

Q,. 17. If daily sins are already forgiven in justification, 
in so far as the not imputing of them is secured in it ; why 
is the believer here directed to pray for the pardon of 
them? 

A. As the evidences of pardon may be frequently eclipsed, 
and fatherly displeasure incurred, by our daily failings ; it 
is therefore our duty to pray, that God's fatherly displea- 
sure may be removed, and the joy of his salvation restored, 
by his " giving us daily more and more assurance of for- 
giveness, Ps. li. 8 — 10, 12."* 

Q,. 18. Upon what ground may we be encouraged to ask 
and expect from God, the intimation of the pardon of our 
daily sins and failings 1 

A. Because, by his grace, we are enabled, from the 
heart, to forgive others. 

Q,. 19. What is it we are to forgive others'? 

A. Personal injuries ; or injuries as committed against 
ourselves, Matt, xviii. 15. 

Q,. 20. Have personal injuries an offence done to God in 
them? 

A. They certainly have ; and it is our duty to pray that 
God would forgive it, Ps. xxxv. 13. 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 194. 

Part IL— 21 



242 



OF THE FIFTH PETITION. 



Q. 21. In what manner should we forgive personal in- 
juries 1 

A. We should do it [from the heart.] 
O. 22. What is it to forgive our fellow-creatures from 
the heart ! 

A. It is not only to lay aside all resentment against 
them ; but to wish and do them all offices of kindness that 
lie in our power, as if they had never done us any injury, 
Matt. v. 44. 

Q. 23. Have we naturally such a disposition in us ! 

A. No ; God enables us to do it [by his grace.] 

Q. 24. To what are we naturally inclined, with refer- 
ence to personal injuries ? 

A. We are naturally inclined to harbour hatred and 
malice in our hearts on account of them, and to revenge 
them if we can ; as was the case with Esau against his 
brother Jacob, Gen. xxvii. 41. 

Q,. 25. What should excite us to the duty of forgiving 
personal injuries ? 

A. The examples of this disposition recorded in scrip- 
ture for our imitation ; such as, the example of Joseph, 
Gen. 1. 17, 21; of Stephen, Acts viL 60; and of our Lord 
himself, Luke xxiii. 34. 

Q,. 26. Can it ever be dishonourable to forgive a per- 
sonal injury ] 

A. No ; it is a man's glory to pass over a transgression, 
Prov. xix. 11. 

Q,. 27. Can forgiving the person infer an approbation of 

his crime 1 

A. No ; we may forgive the person, and yet charge his 
sin close home upon his conscience, as Joseph did to his 
brethren, Gen. xlv. 4, and 1. 20. 

Q. 23. What if forgiveness imbolden the offender in the 
like injuries for the future 1 

A. The fear of this should not be an excuse for omitting 
the present duty of forgiving; because we should leave 
events to the Lord. 

Q,. 29. When we say, Forgive us our debts, as we for- 
give our debtors : do we mean to state a comparison be- 
tween our forgiving others, and God's forgiving us ! 

A. No: there is an infinite disproportion between the 
one and the other ; the injuries our fellow-creatures do us 
are but few and small, in comparison of the innumerable 
and aggravated crimes we are guilty of against God, Matt, 
xviii. verses 24th and 28th compared. 

Q. 30. Can we consistently with the scope of this peti- 
tion, make our forgiveness of others, the ground and reason 
of God's forgiving^ us 1 

A. No ; for this would be to put our forgiveness of others 



OF THE SIXTH PETITION. 



243 



in the room of Christ's righteousness, on the account of 
which alone it is that God forgives us. 

Q,. 31. What then, is the true meaning of these words 
[as we forgive our debtors ?] 

A. The meaning is, that we take encouragement to hope, 
that God will forgive us the sins of our daily walk, from 
this evidence, or 44 testimony in ourselves, that we, from 
the heart, forgive others their offences, Matt. vi. 14, 15. 
If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father 
will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their tres- 
passes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your 
trespasses." * 

Q,. 32. What may we learn from the verses just now 
quoted, for illustrating the meaning of this petition? 

A. We may learn this from them, as the meaning of it, 
that our forgiving others, may be an evidence of God's 
forgiving us : and that our being of an implacable and un- 
relenting disposition towards our fellow-creatures, who 
have injured us, is a sad sign, that our own sins are not 
forgiven us of God, Matt, xviii. 35. 



Quest. 106. What do we pray for in the sixth peti- 
tion ? 

Ans. In the sixth petition, (which is, And lead us not 
into temptation, but deliver us from evil,) we pray, 
That God would either keep us from being tempted to 
sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted. 

€t L What does this petition necessarily suppose? 

A. It supposes, 44 that the most wise, righteous, and gra- 
cious God, for divers holy and just ends, may so order 
things, that we may be assaulted, foiled, and, for a time, 
led captive by temptations, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 31." \ 

Q. 2. How many ways may God be said to [lead] a per- 
son [into temptation,] and yet not be the author of sin 7 

A. Two ways, objectively and permissively. 

Q,. 3. How may he be said to lead into temptation objec- 
tively i 

A. When his providential dispensations, which, in them- 
selves, are holy, just, and good, do offer, or lay before us 
occasions for sin. 

Q,. 4. May these occasions be called incitements or mo- 
tives to sin! 

A. No ; only our corrupt hearts abuse or pervert them 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 194. 



t Ibid. Q. 195. 



244 



OF THE SIXTH PETITION. 



to this end; thus, David was envious when he saw the 
prosperity of the wicked, Ps. lxxiii. 3. 

Q,. 5. When may God be said to lead his people into 
temptation permissively ? 

A. When he suffers them to be assaulted by the tempter, 
and, at the same time, withholds those aids of grace, which 
would prevent their compliance with the temptation, as in 
the case of David's numbering the people, 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, 
compared with 1 Chron. xxi. 1. 

Q. 6. What is the [evil] from which we pray to be deliv- 
ered, and the temptations we pray against in this petition 1 

A. The evil of [sin,] and temptations to sin. 

Q,. 7. What is it to be [tempted to sin 

A. It is to be strongly solicited, instigated, and enticed 
to it, Prov. vii. 16 — 24. 

Q,. 8. Can God be the author or efficient of such instiga- 
tions and allurements 1 

A. By no means ; " For God cannot be tempted with 
evil, neither tempteth he any man," James i. 13. 

Q,. 9. Why then does he permit them to take place 1 

A. That he may direct and over-rule them to the pur- 
poses of his own glory; as in the instance of Peter, Luke 
xxii. 31, 32 : " The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan 
hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat ; 
but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." 

Q. 10. From whence do all temptations to sin spring, or 
take their rise 1 

A. All of them flow from "Satan, 1 Chron. xxi. 1; the 
world, Luke xxi. 34 ; and the flesh, which are ready pow- 
erfully to draw us aside and insnare us, James i. 14." * 

Q,. 11. Are we liable to be drawn aside and insnared by 
enemies, after we are in a state of grace ? 

A. Yes : " even after the pardon of our sins, by reason 
of our corruption, Gal. v. 17, weakness, and want of 
watchfulness, Matt. xxvi. 41, we are both subject to be 
tempted, and forward to expose ourselves unto tempta- 
tions, ver. 69—72." f 

Q,. 12. Are we able to resist temptations when assaulted 
with them 1 

A. No ; we are, " of ourselves, unable and unwilling to 
resist them, to recover out of them, and to improve them, 
Rom. vii. 23, 24." \ 

Q,. 13. How is Satan denominated in scripture, with 
reference to temptations 1 

A. He is called, by way of eminence, the tempter, Matt, 
iv. 3. 

Q,. 14. Why is he so called? 

A. Because of his strong and violent instigation and 
solicitation to sin, Acts v. 3. 

* Larger Catechism, Quest. 195. t Ibid. t Ibid. 



OP THE SIXTH PETITION. 



245 



Q. 15. When did he begin this trade of tempting] 

A. He began it in Paradise, Gen. iii. 1, 4, 5; and has 
been making his assaults upon all ranks of mankind ever 
since, 1 Pet. v. 8. 

Q. 16. Can Satan force and compel the will to yield to 
his temptations ? 

A. No ; otherwise all his temptations would be irresis- 
tible. 

Q,. 17. How do you know that they are not irresistible] 
A. Because the saints are exhorted to resist them, James 

tv. 7; and have actually been enabled, by grace, to do it, 2 

Cor. xii. 8, 9. 

Q,. 18. How many are the ways by which Satan man- 
ages his temptations ] 

A. Two ways chiefly, either in a way of subtlety, using 
wiles and devices ; hence called that old serpent which 
deceiveth the whole world, Rev. xx. 2, compared with 
chap. xii. 9 ; or in a way of furious assault, throwing his 
fiery darts, Eph. vi. 16. In both which respects he is 
called, in the Greek tongue, Apollyon ; that is, a destroyer, 
Rev. ix. 11. 

Q. 19. Why called a destroyer? 

A. Because he aims at nothing less than the eternal ruin 
and destruction of all mankind, 1 Pet. v. 8 : " Your adver- 
sary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking 
whom he may devour." 

Q,. 20. What are some of those chief wiles and strata- 
gems in which he displays his subtlety? 

A. He makes choice of the most advantageous seasons 
for tempting ; he employs the fittest instruments for carry- 
ing on his designs ; and sometimes gilds over the foulest 
sins with the fairest names. 

Q,. 21. What are these advantageous seasons for tempt- 
ing, of which Satan makes choice I 

A. When a person is under sore affliction and distress, 
Job ii. 9 ; when the object is present that will enforce the 
temptation, 2 Sam. xi. 2, 4; and after some remarkable 
manifestation of divine love, 2 Cor. xii. 2, 7. 

Q,. 22. Who are the instruments he employs for carry- 
ing on his temptations ? 

A. Men of the greatest power and policy, 1 Kings xii. 26 
■ — 30 ; and sometimes men of reputed piety and godliness . 
thus he employed the old prophet to seduce the man of 
God with a lie, 1 Kings xiii. 18. 

Q,. 23. What are these fair names, under which Satan 
wants to make the vilest sins pass among men 1 

A. He allures to covetousness, under the name of fru- 
gality, Eccl. iv. 8 ; to profuseness, under the specious title 
of generosity, chap. v. 13,14; he tempts to drunkenness, 
under the disguise of good fellowship, Prov. xxiii. 29, 30 ; 

21* 



246 



OF THE SIXTH PETITION. 



and to neutrality and indifference in religion, under the 
colour of a prudent and peaceable spirit, Acts xviii. 
14, 15, 17. 

Q,. 24. What are those temptations, which Satan endea- 
vours to throw in upon the soul, in the way of furious 

assaults 7 

A. They are his temptations to blasphemous and atheis- 
tical thoughts. 

Q,. 25. What is his plot by injecting these horrid sugges- 
tions ! 

A. Either to beget unbecoming thoughts of God, or to 
disturb, vex, and distract the Christian ! 

Q,. 26. Does he ever gain his design, in begetting un- 
becoming thoughts of God, in the minds of any of God's 
children | 

A. Yes ; as would appear by their speaking sometimes 
very unadvisedly with their lips, Ps. Ixxvii. 8, 9: Is his 
mercy clean gone for ever] doth his promise fail for ever- 
more 7 hath God forgotten to be gracious 7 

Q,. 27. Are the saints suffered to continue long in such 
sentiments 7 

A. No ; for as such words are far from their stated 
judgment, and only flow from their lips in the hour of 
temptation ; so the Lord, by his grace, will soon make 
them change their speech, as in the words immediately fol- 
lowing : " And I said, this is mine infirmity ; but I will re- 
member the years of the right hand of the Most High," Ps. 
Ixxvii. 10. 

Q. 28. Do blasphemous and atheistical thoughts ever 
take their rise in our own hearts 7 

A. Frequently they do ; as our Lord testifies, Matt. xv. 
19 : " Out of the heart proceed — blasphemies." 

Q. 29. When may we charge ourselves with such 
thoughts, as arising in our hearts 7 

A.^When we make no resistance, but give way to them ; 
contrary to the command of God : " Resist the devil, and 
he will flee from you," James iv. 7. 

Q. 30. Can the saints of God distinguish between blas- 
phemous and atheistical thoughts, suggested by Satan, 
and those that arise in their own hearts ! 

A. Yes, they can, in some measure; otherwise they 
would frequently be deprived of the comfortable use of 
those consolations that are allowed them in the word. 

Q,. 31. How may they know the one from the other? 

A. If they are violent and sudden, coming in like a flash 
of lightning upon the mind, Matt. xvi. 22, 23 ; if their souls 
tremble at such thoughts, and oppose them with the utmost 
abhorrence, Ps. Ixxiii. 15: and if nothing is more grievous 
than to be assaulted with them, ver. 21,22; then they may 



OF THE SIXTH PETITION. 



247 



conclude, that they are rather to be charged on Satan than 
themselves. 

Q,. 32. What are the extremes, to which Satan labours 
to drive sinners by his temptations 1 
A. Either to presumption or despair. 
Q,. 33. What is presumption? 

A. It is a confident hope of the favour of God, and of 
obtaining eternal life, without any sufficient foundation to 
support it, like the foolish virgins, Matt. xxv. 11, 12. 

Q,. 34. What is Satan's conduct with reference to pre- 
sumption 1 

A. He does all he can to foster and cherish it, and is sure 
to give it no disturbance, Luke xi. 21 : " When a strong 
man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." 

Q,. 35. What is despair ? 

A. It is the melancholy apprehension of a person's case 
as being quite hopeless, and of there being no help for him 
in God, Jer. ii. 25. 

Q,. 36. By what artifices does Satan labour to drive per- 
sons to this deplorable extreme T 

A. By suggesting that their sins are too many, and too 
heinously aggravated to be pardoned ; that the time of 
forgiveness is past ; or that they have been guilty of the 
sin against the Holy Ghost. 

Q,. 37. Is it possible that our sins can be more numerous 
and more heinously aggravated, than that they can be 
pardoned ? 

A. No : because no bounds or limits can be set to the 
infinite mercy of God, as vented through the meritorious 
obedience and satisfaction of Jesus; "for, he will abun- 
dantly pardon," (margin, •« he will multiply to pardon," Isa. 
lv. 7 ;) and he declares, that though our " sins be as scarlet, 
or red like crimson, they shall be white as snow, and as 
wool," Isa. i. 18. 

Q,. 38. Can any be certain in this life, that the time of 
forgiveness is past as to them, or that their day of grace 
is over ] 

A. No ; because while the gospel continues to be pub- 
lished to them, it is their unquestionable duty to believe 
the report made in it, concerning salvation for them in 
Christ, without diving into the secret counsels of God, 1 
John v. 1 1 : " This is the record, that God hath given to us 
eternal life ; and this life is in his Son." 

Q. 39. How may a person know if he is not guilty of 
the sin against the Holy Ghost 1 

A. If he is deeply concerned and perplexed about this 
matter, and has an habitual desire after salvation by grace, 
he may be verily assured he is not guilty of this: for 
" they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are 
sick," Matt. ix. 12. 



248 



OP THE SIXTH PETITION. 



Q,. 40. What is the second spring of our temptations 

above mentioned i 
A. The world, Mark iv. 19. 

Q. 41. What are the things of the world which give rise 
to temptations ? 

A. Both the good things and the bad things of it. 

Q,. 42. What are the good things of the world, which 
may prove a snare and occasion to sin ! 

A. The profits, pleasures, and preferments of the world, 
when trusted to, and rested in, Matt. xiii. 22. 

Q,. 43. For what should we pray, in order to be deliver- 
ed from such temptations? 

A. That God would incline our hearts unto his " testi- 
monies and not to covetousness," Ps. cxix. 36, and that he 
would set our " affections on things above, not on things 
on the earth," Col. iii. 2. 

Q,. 44. What are the evil things of this world, which 
may prove temptations ? 

A. The outward troubles and afflictions we meet with 
in it, John xvi. 33 : " In the world ye shall have tribulation." 

Q,. 45. Is God the author of all outward afflictions? 

A. Yes ; Amos iii. 6 : " Shall there be evil in a city and 
the Lord hath not done it?" Though men may indeed 
have an instrumental and sinful hand in their own troubles 
and distresses; Jer. ii. 17: "Hast thou not procured this 
unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God 1" 

Q,. 46. When do afflictions prove temptations ? 

A. When we either " despise the chastening of the Lord," 
or "faint when we are rebuked of him," Heb. xii. 5. 

Q,. 47. For what should we pray when visited with af- 
flictions ? 

A. That when the Lord is pleased to chasten us, it may 
be for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness, 
Heb. xii. 10. 

Q,. 48. What is the third spring or fountain of our temp- 
tations ? 

A. The flesh, Gal. v. 17. 

Q, 49. What is meant by the flesh? 

A. Our corrupt and depraved nature, Rom. vii. 8: 
" They that are in the flesh cannot please God." 

Q,. 50. How is the flesh, or corrupt nature, the spring of 
temptation ? 

A. As it entices to it, James i. 14, and is the inlet to 
temptations from Satan and the world, Jer. xvii. 9. 

Q. 51. How should we pray against such temptations 
as have their rise from corrupt nature? 

A. That God would not only restrain the pernicious 
tendency of our natural dispositions, Ps. xix. 13, but like- 
wise fortify our souls, by the powerful influence of his 



OF THE SIXTH PETITION. 



249 



grace, against all these evils, to whicft we are naturally 
addicted, Eph. iii. 16. 

Q,. 52. May we pray absolutely against temptations 1 

A. No ; but we may put an alternative into God's hand 
with reference to them. 

Q,. 53. What alternative may be put into God's hand 
with reference to temptations 1 

A. That he [would either keep us from being tempted 
to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.] 

Q,. 54. What do we mean, when we pray, [that God 
would keep us from being tempted to sin 1] 

A. We mean by it, that, since the event of a temptation, 
with respect to us, is so dangerous and uncertain, if God 
has not some gracious ends to answer by it, he would 
rather be pleased, by his providence, to prevent the temp- 
tation, than suffer us to fall into it, Ps. xix. 13. 

Q,. 55. What do we mean, when we pray, that God 
would [support and deliver us when we are tempted 1] 

A. We thus express our desire, " that, if tempted, we 
may, by his Spirit, be powerfully enabled to stand in the 
hour of temptation, Eph. iii. 16; or, if fallen, raised again 
and recovered out of it, Ps. li. 12, and have a sanctified 
use and improvement thereof, 1 Pet. v. 8." * 

Q,. 56. How does the Lord enable his people to stand in 
the hour of temptation ] 

A. By making his grace sufficient for them, and perfect- 
ing his strength in their weakness, 2 Cor. xii. 9. 

Q. 57. How does he raise and recover them out of temp- 
tation, when fallen into it t 

A. By discovering the corrupt and natural bias of their 
heart toward the temptation ; humbling them on account 
of it, and the offence done to God by their compliance ; 
and by quickening their faith, to draw virtue from the 
righteousness of the Surety, for a fresh intimation of par- 
don, Ps. li. 4, 5, 7. 

Q,. 58. When have they a sanctified use and improve- 
ment of temptations 1 

A. When they are made more circumspect, watchful, 
and dependent on Christ for the future, as being sensible 
of their inability to resist the least temptation without him ; 
for he has said, Without me ye can do nothing, John xv. 5. 

Q,. 59. What should be our habitual scope, and general 
end, in offering up this petition, " Lead us not into temp- 
tation, but deliver us from evil?" 

A. Our aim and end in it, should be, " that our ^notifi- 
cation and salvation may be perfected, 2 Cor. xiii. 9 ; Sa- 
tan trodden under our feet, Rom. xvi. 20 ; and we fully freed 
from sin, temptation, and all evil for ever, 1 Thess. v. 23." f 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 195. 



tlbid. 



250 



OF THE CONCLUSION. 



Quest. 107. What doth the conclusion of the Lord's 
Prayer teach us ? 

Ahb. The conclusion of the Lord's Prayer, (which is, 
For thine is the kingdom, and the 'power, and the glory, 
for ever, Amen,) teacheth us to take our encouragement 
in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise 
him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him. And, 
in testimony of our desire and assurance to be heard, we 
say, A3iex. 

O. 1. What does the particle [for] which ushers in the 
conclusion of the Lord's prayer, teach us ? 

A. It " teacheth us to enforce our petitions with argu- 
ments, Rom. xv. 30." * 

Q,. 2. From w T hence are these arguments to be taken ! 

A. " Not from any worthiness in ourselves, or in any 
other creature, but from God, Dan. ix. ]9." f 

Q,. 3. What argument, for instance, may we fetch from 
God, to enforce our petitions] 

A. That u mercy and truth have met together; right- 
eousness and peace have kissed each other," Ps. lxxxv. 10. 

Q,. 4. What force is there in this argument? 

A. A very great force, namely, that all the perfections 
and excellencies of the divine nature, harmoniously agree 
in conferring all promised blessings upon sinners of man- 
kind, on account of the meritorious obedience, and satis- 
faction of Christ imputed to them, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23 : " All 
things are yours, and ye are Christ's." 

Q,. 5. For what end should we use arguments with God 
in prayer ! 

A. Not to prevail with him to grant what he does not 
see fit for us ; but to quicken our own faith, and encour- 
age our hope, to expect the good things of the promise 
w T hich we want, in his own time and way, Dan. ix. 18. 

Q,. 6. Why should we essay [in our prayers to praise 
him?] 

A. Because praise glorifies God, Ps. 1. 23, and engages 

him to hear our prayers, Ps. lxviii. 5, 6. 

Q,. 7. What way should we praise him in our prayers 1 
A. By [ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him.] 
Q,. 8. What is meant by [kingdom, power, and glory !J 
A. "Eternal sovereignty, omnipotency, and glorious 

excellency," as appertaining "to God alone," 1 Chron. 

xxix. 10—144 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 196. 



t Ibid. 



t Ibid. 



OF THE CONCLUSION. 



251 



Q,. 9. What [kingdom] do we ascribe to God as his 1 

A. The kingdom of nature, as God Creator; and the 
kingdom of grace, as God Redeemer. 

Q,. 10. What encouragement may we take in prayer, 
from the kingdoms both of nature and grace being his ? 

A. That we shall want nothing that is good for us, either 
as we are his creatures, Ps. cxlv. 16, or his children, Matt, 
vii. 11. 

Q. 11. Why do we ascribe [power] to God, as well as 
kingdom 1 

A. Because, without power, his sovereignty could not 
be maintained, or his kingdom managed, Ps. lxvi. 3, 7. 

Q. 12. What encouragement may we take in prayer, 
from the power being his 1 

A. That no difficulty whatever shall hinder the accom- 
plishment of the promise, Rom. iv. 21. 

Q,. 13. What do we mean by ascribing [glory] to him ? 

A. We thus acknowledge, that he is possessed of all 
those excellencies, which render him glorious in the eyes 
of men and angels ; and that the praise and honour of 
every thing that is great and excellent, or has a tendency 
to raise our esteem and admiration, is due to him, Ps. 
lxxviii. 4. 

Q,. 14. What encouragement may we take in prayer, 
from the glory being his 1 

A. That the accomplishment of his glorious purposes, 
and performance of his gracious promises, will bring in a 
revenue of glory and praise to him, Ps. xlv. 17. 

Q.. 15. How long will the kingdom, power, and glory be 
his? 

A. [For ever,] without intermission through eternity, 
Ex. xv. 18. 

Q,. 16. What is the difference, in this respect, between 
God and all earthly kings and potentates whatsoever ] 

A. Their kingdom, power, and glory, are only of a short 
duration, Ps. lxxxii. 6, 7 ; whereas the God with whom we 
have to do changes not, but is ever the same, James i. 17. 

Q,. 1 7. Why do we say [Amen] in our prayers 1 

A. We should do it [in testimony of our desire, and as- 
surance to be heard.] 

Q,. 18. How may we know we say [Amen] in testimony 
of our desire 1 

A. When " by faith we are imboldened to plead with 
God, that he would— fulfil our requests, 2 Chron. xx. 6, 
11."* 

Q. 19. What does the word signify, when we say it in 
testimony of our desire ) 

A. In this view it properly signifies, So be it, or so let 
it be. 

* Larger Catechism Q. 196. 



252 



OP THE CONCLUSION. 



Q,. 20. When do we say Amen in testimony of our [as- 
surance to be heard?] 

A. When " by faith we are imboldened — quietly to rely 
upon him that he will fulfil our requests, 2 Chron. xiv. 11."* 

Q,. 21. What does the word signify, when we say it in 
testimony of our assurance to be heard] 

A. In this sense it denotes, So it is ; or, so it shall be. 

Q,. 22. In which of these views is the word, Amen, to 
be understood in the conclusion of this prayer] 

A. It is to be understood as signifying both ; namely, as 
including a testimony of our desire, and likewise an assur- 
ance of being heard. 

Q. 23. How does this appear 1 

A. Because there cannot be a desire of any promised 
blessing in faith, but there must be some measure of as- 
surance that it will be granted in God's time and order, 
Ps. x. 17. 



* Larger Catechism, Quest. 196. 



CONTENTS OF THE FIRST PART. 



Page 

The Preface, 3 

Advertisement, 7 

Of man's chief end, 9 

Of the holy scriptures, 14 

Of the scope of the scriptures, 21 
Of the nature and perfections of 

God in general, 24 

'Infinity, 27 

Eternity, 29 

Unchangeableness, 30 

Being, 31 

Wisdom, 31 

Power, 34 

Holiness, 35 

Justice, 36 

Goodness, 39 

.Truth, 41 

Of the unity of God, 43 

Of the Holy Trinity, 45 

Of the divine decrees, 51 
Of the execution of God's decrees, 57 



Of God's 



Of the creation in general, 
Of the creation of man, 
Of providence, 
Of the covenant of Works, 
Of Adam's fall, 
Of sin in general, 
Of the first sin in particular, 
Of our fall in Adam, 
Of man's state by the fall, 
Of the sinfulness of man's natu- 
ral state, 
Of the misery of man's natural 
state, 

Of the covenant of grace, 

Of the only Redeemer, 

Of Christ's incarnation, 

Of Christ's offices in general, 

Of Christ as a prophet, 

Of Christ as a priest, 

Of the first part of Christ's priest- 
ly office, viz. his satisfaction, 130 
Part II.— 22 



89 



95 
100 
114 
118 
122 
126 
129 



Page 

Of the second part, viz. his in- 
tercession, 133 
Of Christ as a king, 136 
Of Christ's humiliation, 142 

1. In his incarnation and birth, 142 

2. In his life, 143 
(1.) In being made under the 

law, 143 
(2.) In undergoing the mise- 
ries of this life, 144 
(3.) In enduring the wrath 
of God, 144 

3. In his death, 145 

4. In what passed on him after 
his death, 146 

Of Christ's exaltation, 147 

1. In his rising again from the 
dead, 148 

2. In his ascending up into 
heaven, 151 

3. In his sitting at the right 
hand of God the Father, 153 

4. In his coming to judge the 
world at the last day, 155 

Of the application of redemption, 162 
Of -union with Christ, 164 
Of effectual calling, 168 
Of benefits in this life, 173 
Of justification, 175 
Of adoption, 182 
Of sa notification, 186 
Of the benefits that accompany 
or flow from justification, adop- 
tion, and sanctification, 193 

1. Of assurance, 193 

2. Of peace of conscience, 195 

3. Of joy in the Holy Ghost, 196 

4. Of increase of grace, 197 

5. Of perseverance, 200 
Of benefits at death, 202 
Of benefits at the resurrection, 206 

253 



CONTENTS OF THE SECOND PART. 



The Preface, 
Of man's duty to God, 
Of the laws of God, 
L Of the moral law, 

2. Of the ceremonial law, 

3. Of the judicial law, 
Of the ten commandments, 

Of the sum of the ten command- 
ments, 

Of the preface to the command- 
ments, 

Of the first commandment, 
t Of the duties required in the 
first commandment, 

2. Of the sins forbidden in the 
first commandment, 

3. Of the words [before me] in 
the first commandment, 

Of the second commandment, 

1. Of the duties required in the 
second commandment, 

2. Of the sins forbidden in the 
second commandment, 

3. Of the reasons annexed to 
the second commandment, 

Of the third commandment, 

1. Of the duties required in the 
third commandment, 

2. Of the sins forbidden in the 
third commandment, 

3. Of the reasons annexed to 
the third commandment, 

Of the fourth commandment 
L Of the duties required in the 
fourth commandment, 

2. Of the change of the Sab- 
bath, 

3. Of sanctifying the Sabbath, 

4. Of the sins forbidden in the 
fourth commandment, 

5. Of the reasons annexed to 
the fourth commandment, 

Of the fifth commandment, 

1. Of the duties required in the 
fifth commandment, 

2. Of the sins forbidden in the 



Page Page 
3 L Of the duties required in the 
7 seventh commandment, 110 
9 2. Of the sins forbidden in the 
9 seventh commandment, 112 
13 Of the eighth commandment, 117 



20 1. Of the duties required in the 

21 eighth commandment, 118 
2. Of the sins forbidden in the 

26 eighth commandment, 120 
Of the ninth commandment, 124 
29 L Of the duties required in the 

35 ninth commandment, 124 
2. Of the sins forbidden in the 

36 ninth commandment, 127 
Of the tenth commandment, 131 

40 1. Of the duties required in the 

tenth commandment, 131 
46 2. Of the sins forbidden in the 

48 tenth commandment, 134 
Of man's inability to keep the 

49 law perfectly, 137 
Of sin in its aggravations, 140 

52 Of the desert of sin, 144 
Of the means of salvation in gen- 

57 1 eral, 146 

61 1 Of faith in Jesus Christ, 149 
Of repentance unto life, 158 

61 Of Christ's ordinances in gen- 
eral, 164 

70 Of the word in particular as made 

effectual to salvation, 167 

73 Of the manner of reading and 

75 hearing the word, 174 
Of the sacraments as effectual 

76 means of salvation, 176 
Of the nature of sacraments in 

81 general, 178 
86 orthe number of the sacraments, 182 
! Of the nature of baptism, 185 
92 j Of the subjects of baptism, 191 
I Of the Lord's supper, 197 
93 Of the worthy receiving of the 
96! Lord's supper, 206 
Of the nature of prayer, 212 
96 Of direction in prayer, 220 
1 Of the preface of the Lord's 

224 
227 
230 
234 
237 
239 
243 



fifth commandment, iuui 
3. Of the reason annexed to | Of the first petition, 
the fifth commandment, 101 1 Of the second petition, 
Of the sixth commandment, 103; Of the third petition, 

1. Of the duties required in the : Of the fourth petition, 
sixth commandment, 103 Of the fifth petition, 

2. Of the sins forbidden in the j Of the sixth petition, 
sixth commandment, 105 . Of the conclusion of the Lord's 

Of the seventh commandment, 109 1 prayer, 250 

254 



INDEX 



OF THE 

PRINCIPAL TOPICS CONTAINED IN BOTH PARTS OF THIS 
CATECHISM. 

After the numeral letters, I. or II., signifying the first or second Part, 
the first figure stands for the page, and the second for the number of 
the question m that page. 

Ib. [ibidem] signifies the same part and page that is last mentioned ; and 
then the figure stands for the number of the question in the last men- 
tioned page. 

The part is not mentioned oftener than once under the same word ; only 
the page, and the number of the question therein. 



A 

Aaron's rod that budded, what it signified, II. 18. 73. 

Adam, four reasons why the man and the woman were so called, I. 63. 
20. A covenant head to all his posterity, proved by two arguments, 86. 
10. His posterity in him, when he first sinned, two ways, 87. 18. 

Adoption, the proper meaning of it, I. 182. L General adoption, what, 
183. 4 ; special, what, ib. 6. 

Adultery, what, II. 116. 28. The aggravations of it, ib. 31. 

Agency, the peculiar agency of each person of the Trinity, in the for- 
mation of the body of Christ, I. 121. 22. 

v Aggravations ; four sources, from whence sins receive their aggrava- 
tions, II. 141. 9—30. 

Altar, brazen, what typified by it, II. 16. 57 ; of incense, what it typi- 
fied, 17. 64. 

Amen, what it properly signifies, II. 251. 17 — 21. 
Appearances; ten bodily aDpearances of Christ, after his resurrection, 
I. 149. 16. 

Apocrypha, four reasons why it ought not to be received as a part of 
the canon of scripture, I. 21. 50. 

Apostle, why Christ so called, I. 126. 4. 

Arguments, nine of them, for convincing infidels that the scriptures are 
the word of God, I. 15. 9. 

Ark in the tabernacle and temple, what was within it, II. 18. 70. 

Ascension of Christ, three ends of it, I. 153. 49. 

Assurance ; difference between the assurance of faith, and the assur- 
ance of sense, I. 194. 8. Assurance of God's love, attainable, proved by 
tw T o arguments, ib. 12. Three evidences of it, 195. 17. The difference 
between it and presumption, ib. 18. 

Atheist; no such thing in the world, as a direct speculative Atheist, 
proved, II. 41. 8—11. 

Attributes of God not distinct from God himself, t 26. 22 ; nor from 
one another, ib. 23. 



256 INDEX. 

B 

Baptism, the proper signification of the word, II. 185. L When Christ 
appointed it as a sacrament of the New Testament, ib. 3. Difference be- 
tween the baptism of John and the baptism dispensed by the apostles, 
after Christ's ascension, 186. 6, 8. Proved, that it is rightly administered 
by sprinkling. 187. 15. Analogy between the sign in baptism and the 
thing signified, 187. 19. The ends and uses of baptism, 188. 27—35. The 
efficacy of it, wherein it consists, 191. 47. Why but once administered, 
193. 12. 

Baptize, why did not Christ, baptize any himself, II. 186. 11. 

Blasphemy, what, II. 70. 3. The aggravations of it, ib. 4. 

Blasphemous thoughts, three ways whereby to know when they are 
suggested by Satan, II. 246, 31. 

Blood of Jesus, why called the blood of sprinkling, I. 133. 43. 

Body that Christ had, a true and real body, proved, I. 120. 17. Why 
Christ's body was not created immediately out of nothing, ib. 19. 

Bodies ; four properties of the bodies of the saints, at the resurrection, 
explained, I. 209. 19—23. 

Bondage ; a twofold right that Christ had to be our Redeemer from 
spiritual bondage, II. 34. 32. 

Books ; four books will be opened at the day of judgment, I. L58. 94, &c 

Brazen Altar : See Altar. 

C 

Cain, why not put to death for the murder of his brother, II. 108. 22. 

Candlestick, what it signified, II. 16. 62. 

Chastity, what, II. 110. 1. Three ways whereby to preserve our own 
chastity, 110. 3. 

Cherubims of glory, what represented by them, II. 19. 82. What was 
signified by the posture of their faces, ib. 86. 

Children ; six duties incumbent upon them to their parents, II. 98. 20. 

Christ; why he is not the cause of election, I. 101. 7. Why called the 
last Adam, 102. 26. As a prophet, hath revealed the will of God two 
ways, 127, 12, &c. As a surety made under the moral law, 143, 12 ; and 
that as a covenant of works, proved, ib. 14. How Christ is offered, and 
to be received, in three particulars, II. 153. 46 — 56. 

Circumcision, when first instituted, II. 182. 2. The spiritual meaning 
of it, 183. 4. 

Cleansing ; the difference between cleansing by the blood, and clean- 
sing by the Spirit of Christ, in two particulars, II. 187. 17. 

Concurrence ; God's immediate concurrence with every action of the 
creature, proved, I. 67. 20. How he concurs with the sinful actions of 
men, without sin, ib. 21. 

Confession, a part of prayer, II. 222. 17. 

Connexion between the preface and the first commandment, II. 35. 6. 

Contentment with our own condition, what, II. 132. 6. Four cross dis- 
pensations, under which it is required, ib. 10 — 14. 

Corruption of the whole nature, what, I. 91. 19. Wherein doth it ap- 
pear, ib. 20. How proved from scripture, 92. 22. Four inward evidences 
of the universal corruption of nature, ib. 24. 

Covenant of grace, why so called, I. 102. 18. How made with Christ, 
103. 27. Why made with him as the head, 104. 40. The proper condi- 
tion of it, what, 106. 59. Difference between the covenant of grace, and 
covenant of works, illustrated in nine particulars, 112. Ill — 120. The 
principal part of the Sinai transaction, though the covenant of works was 
most conspicuous, II. 24. 26. 

Covetousness, what, II. 134. 2. 

D 

Death ; how it may be proved, that the precise moment of every one's 



INDEX. 257 

death is fixed in the decree, I. 54. 24. The difference between the 
death of believers and that of the wicked, in five particulars, 98. 28. 

Death of Christ, what about it should be remembered in the supper, 
in three particulars, II. 201. 33—36. Four ways whereby we should 
show forth his death in that sacrament, ib. 37—41. 

Debts, why sins are so called, II. 240. 3. 

Decrees ; why God's eternal purpose is called his decrees in the plural 
number, I. 52. 5. The absurdity of conditional decrees, 53. 13. How the 
decree is permissive, and efficacious at the same time, 55. 30. 

Delighting in the glory of God, whether it is to be reckoned our chief 
end, I. 13. 46. 

Deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, represents our spiritual redemption, 
in four particulars, II. 32. 23. 

Despair, what, II. 247. 35. Three ways whereby Satan labours to 
drive persons to despair, ib. 36 — 39. 

Dipping, not necessary in baptism, II. 187. 14, 15. 

Discipline of Christ's kingdom, what, L 140. 41. 

Discontentment, with our own estate, what, II. 134. 6. The aggrava- 
tions of this sin, ib. 7. 

Disposition ; the difference between a federal, and a testamentary dis- 
position, I. 111. 100. 

Divorce, the grounds upon which it may be obtained, II. 114, 18. 

Duelling, the sin of it, II. 107. 17 

E 

Election, what, I. 55. 38. 

End ; men make themselves their own end and happiness in three in- 
stances, II. 42. 21. 

Eternity ; the difference between God's eternity, and the eternity of 
angels, and the souls of men, L 29. 6 

Eutychians, their error, I. 116. 28. 

Exaltation of Christ, what, I. 147. 1. 

Excellency, the incomparable excellency of the scriptures, in four arti- 
cles, I. 21. 51. 

Extent of the grant that God makes of himself to us, illustrated in nine 
particulars, II. 30. 11. 

F 

Faith, the place it has in the covenant of grace, 1. 108. 74. What right 
it gives to the promise, 109. 84 ; the difference between saving and justi- 
fying faith, 181. 59. How connected with salvation, II. 148. 20. Four 
kinds of faith mentioned in scripture, 149. 1 — 9. The appropriating per- 
suasion, in the nature of faith, necessary to answer the gospel offer, what, 
155. 58. Why this appropriating persuasion is necessary to the nature of 
saving faith, ib. 59. Three evidences of a strong faith, 156. 64. Three 
evidences of the weakness of faith, ib. 65. Three marks of a true faith, 
however weak, ib. 66. Three ways in which faith views its objects, 157. 
74 — 77. What is it for the worthy receivers of the sacrament of the sup- 
per, to partake of the body and blood of Christ by faith, 205. 66. Four 
ways how we may know if we have that faith which feeds on Christ in 
the word and sacrament, 208. 20. 

Fasting ; religious fasting, what, II. 51. 22. Three arguments, proving 
it to be of divine appointment, ib. 24. The occurrences which call for it, 
ib. 27. 

Father, proved to be God, L 49. 23, Not properly the fountain of the 
Deity, ib. 29. Three respects in which God is called Father with refer- 
ence to men, II. 225. 6 — 9. 

Fatherly chastisements, why they may not be called a penalty in the 
covenant of grace, I. 109. 88. 

Flesh, what meant by it, II. 248. 49. How it is the spring of tempta- 
tion, ih. 50. 

Freedom of will, since the fall, what, I. 78. 21. 

22* 



258 INDEX. 

G 

Glorifying God, why set before the enjoying of him, I. 13. 44. Glorify- 
ing God, what, II. 39. 31. How we glorify him in his attributes, ordi- 
nances, word, and works, 229. 13 — 19. 

Glory; God's essential glory, what, I. 10. 8. His declarative glory, 
what, 10. 9. Four similitudes whereunto the future glory of believers is 
compared 204. 22. 

God ; how does it appear from scripture and reason, that there can be 
but one only, I. 43. 1, 2. Why said to be living, 44. 15. Why called true, 
ib. 16. 

Godhead, the meaning of the word, I. 46. 8. 

Golden pot, that had manna, what it signified, II. 18. 72. 

Goodness of God, what, I. 39. 1. His absolute goodness, what, ib. 3 ; 
his relative, what, ib. 4. How his goodness is manifested in the contriv- 
ance of redemption, 40. 13 ; how in the execution of it, ib. 14. 

Gospel-ofFer, the faith of it, what, I. 169. 14. 

Gospel precepts, the absurdity of making faith and repentance new 
gospel precepts, II. 38. 26, 27. 

Growth ; believers grow four ways, I. 199. 12, &c. Four evidences of 
growth in grace, ib. 18. 

H 

High priest, a type of Christ, in two respects, II. 13. 35. 

Holiness of God, what, I. 35. 1. How it appears in every thing per- 
taining to God, ib. 6, &c. 

Holy Ghost, five arguments, proving that he proceedeth from the Son, 
as well as from the Father, I. 48. 19. His supreme Deity proved by four 
arguments, 50. 36. 

Holy resting on the Sabbath, what, II. 88. 19. 

Human nature of Christ, why it never subsisted by itself, I. 1 18. 3. Dif- 
ference between the human nature, and a human person, 119. 7. 
Humiliation of Christ, what it was, I. 142. 1. 



I & J 

Idea ; an imaginary idea of Christ as man, no way helpful to the faith 
of his being God-man, I. 122. 30. 
Illumination, saving ; four distinguishing properties of it, I. 172. 40. 
Image of God, wherein it consists, I. 64. 25. 
Immanuel, the import of the name, I. 116. 25, &c. 
Immensity, what, I. 28. 4. 

Immortality of the soul proved by four arguments, I. 63. 17. 
Imputation of Adam's first sin to his posterity; proved by two scrip- 
ture-arguments, I. 86. 10. 
Incomprehensibility of God, what, I. 28. 3. 

Infants ; the right that the infants of such as are members of the visible 
church have to baptism, proved at great length, and objections answered, 
II. 194 to 196. 25 to 44. 

Infinite, what it is for God to be so, I. 27. 1. 

Intercession of Christ, the nature of it described, I. 134. 51. The 
grounds of its perpetuity, 135. 64 ; difference between the intercession of 
Christ and the intercession of the Spirit, 136. 69. 

Joy in the Holy Ghost, four seasons of it, I. 197. 5. Four evidences of 
it, ib. 9. 

Journey, Sabbath day's, what, II. 88. 13. 
Judge, four qualities of the Judge at the last day, I. 156. 82. 
Judgment, that there will be a general judgment proved, I. 155. 69. &c. 
Justice of God, what, I. 36. 1. 

Justice, legislative, what, 37. 6 ; distributive, what, ib. 9 ; vindictive, es- 
sential to God, proved by four arguments, 38. 22. 



INDEX. 259 

Justification and sanctification connected in six respects, I. 187. 7. — 
The difference between them, in twelve particulars, ib. 9 to 21. 
Justify, what it is to justify a person, 1. 175. 3. 

K 

Kingdom, the twofold kingdom of Christ, essential, and mediatorial, 
explained, I. 138. 17 to 20. 

Kingdom of God and his righteousness, what meant by the expression, 
II. 213. 19. God's kingdom of grace, why so called, 231. 17. What this 
kingdom of grace is as to outward dispensation, ib. 155 ; what as to in- 
ward operation, 16. 

Kingdom of glory, what, 234. 39. 

Knowledge, God's. How does it appear that God has a certain know- 
ledge of contingent actions, I. 32. 9. How does he know things only 
possible, ib. 10. How does he know things future, ib. 11. 

Knowledge, man's saving knowledge of God, wherein it consists, I. 26. 
19, &c. Four evidences of it, II. 37. 16. Three ways how we may know 
if the measure of knowledge we have attained, be of a saving kind, 
208. 16. 

L 

Last day, why the day of judgment is so called, I. 156. 76. 

Law, natural, what, II. 9. 2. Some general principles of the law of na- 
ture, mentioned, 10. 7. Difference between the law of nature, and the 
moral law, ib. 11. Whether is the moral law of immutable obligation, 11. 
16. How is it a schoolmaster to bring to Christ, 12. 26. How Christ 
sweetens it to his subjects, I. 140. 36. 

Lie, what is the formal nature of it, II. 127. 3. How it is aggravated, 
ib. 4. Three sorts of it, and each of them described, 128. 8 to 18. 

Light, why is God so called, I. 25. 10. 

Long life, three things that tend to make it happy and comfortable, II 
102. 7. 

Lotting, what, II. 68. 63, 66. Why only to be used in cases of absolute 
necessity, 67. 69. 

Love, why God is said to be love, I. 25. 11. Three marks of supreme 
love to God, II. 27. 14. Three ways how to know if our love to Christ 
be sincere and unfeigned, 208. 24. 

Lust, six remedies against all incentives to it, II. 117. 39. 

M 

Man, how he ought to glorify God, I. 10. 12. 

Marriage, why instituted before the fall, I. 62. 11. Three ends of its 
institution, II. 111. 13. 

Matter and form of an action, the difference between them illustrated 
by an example, I. 68. 23. 

Mediator, why is he God and man in one person, I. 118. 40. 

Melchisedek, order of, what, I. 130. 11. Why is Christ called a priest 
after this order, ib. 13. 

Mercy, four kinds of mercy which God shows them that love him, II. 
60. 30. 

Mercy-seat, what signified by it, II. 19. 80. 

Messiah, Christ proved to be the true Messiah, I. 114. 6, &c. 

Ministers, six duties incumbent upon them to their people, II. 99. 26. 

Miracle, what is the true notion of it, I. 69. 38. 

Morality of the fourth commandment, wherein it consists, II. 78. 24. 

Murderers to be punished with death, II. 107. 10. 

N 

Name, the former and present name of the adopted children of God, in 
three particulars, I. 184. 22. How a good name may be obtained, II. 125. 
11. How it ought to be maintained, 126. 15. 



260 INDEX. 

Names, three sorts of names, whereby God conveys the knowledge of 
himself to us, II. 62. 7. 

Nature, Christ's human nature not represented in the first Adam, I. 87. 
22 ; but legally derived, ib. 23. 

Necessity of a further revelation than nature's light illustrated by five 
reasons, I. 16. 16. 

Nestorians, their error, L 116. 29. 

O 

Oath, the definition of it, II. 63. 17. The definition explained, ib. 18 to 
21. The three qualifications of it, ib. 22 to 27. The obligation thereof. 
66. 47 to 54. 

Oaths, distinguished into assertory and promissory, both of which are 
illustrated, It 65. 33 to 44. 

Obedience, Christ's active and passive obedience described, I. 179. 40 
and 41. Difference between the obedience due to God and to lawful supe- 
riors, II. 8. 11. Three qualities of acceptable obedience, ib. 14. Four 
reasons why the obedience of believers is called new obedience, 162. 42 
to 48. Three ways how to know if our obedience is indeed new obedi- 
ence, 209. 26. 

Offices of Christ, not the proper fountain of the promises, I. 124. 23. 

Order of doctrine laid down in the standards of the church of Scotland, 
illustrated, I. 22. 4 to 18. 

Ordinances, nine religious ordinances mentioned from the Larger Cate- 
chism, and explained II. 165. 6 to 22. 

Ordination, by presbyters, without a diocesan bishop, proved lawful and 
valid, II. 192. 2. n 

Original sin, proved to be damning, I. 94. 39. The evidences of it, an- 
tecedent to the commission of any actual transgression, ib. 40. 

P 

Parents, five duties incumbent on them to their children, II. 98. 19. 

Passover, when first instituted, II. 183. 6. Why so called, ib. 7. What 
were the significant ceremonies in that sacrament, ib. 10 to 16. 

Peace, three things to mar the peace of believers, I. 196. 8. 

People, five duties incumbent upon them to their ministers, II. 99. 26. 

Perfection not attainable by the saints in this life, proved by three ar- 
guments, II. 138. 12 and 13. 

Perfections of God, why called attributes, 1. 27. 24. How distinguished, 
ib. 25, &c. 

Perjury, what, II. 70. 7. The aggravations of it, 71. 11. 
Perseverance of the saints, six infallible securities for it, I. 200. 3. See 
also, II. 178. 38. 

Person in the Godhead, what is meant by it ; I. 46. 9. Four arguments, 
proving that there are three persons in the Godhead, 47. 13. 

Pictures, or images of Christ, why to be abhorred, II. 53. 9, 10. 

Polygamy, what, II. 113. 8. How God has testified his displeasure 
against it, even in the godly, 114. 15. 

Portion, what meant by a competent portion of the good things of this 
life, II. 237. 8. Three differences as to the manner in which the godly 
and the wicked hold their outward comforts, 238. 17 to 20. 

Power of God, what, 1. 34. 1. How manifested in creation, ib. 5. How 
in providence, ib. 6. How in redemption, ib. 7. 

Pray; what it is to pray in Christ's name, II. 214. 22. For whom are 
we to pray, in eight particulars, ib. 28 to 36. How are we to pray, in six 
particulars, 216. 42 to 49. 

Prayer to be made to God only, II. 212. 1. Four reasons of it, ib. 2. 
Three kinds of prayer, secret, private, and public, explained, 217. 50 to 62. 
Two reasons for confessing sins in prayer, 219. 68. How may we know 
that our prayers are heard, 220. 80. Two ways whereby we may know 



INDEX. 261 

if mercies come to us in the course of common providence, or as an an- 
swer of prayer, ib. 81 to 84. Lord's prayer, why called the special rule 
of direction in prayer, 222. 10. Proved by two arguments, that it is not 
designed for a mere form, to the precise words whereof we are strictly 
tied down, ib. 16 to 28. 
Predestinated, what, I. 55. 35. 

Present, how God is present with his church on earth, I. 28. 8. How 
he is present in heaven, ib. 9. How in hell, ib. 10. 
Presumption, what, II. 187. 33. 
Priest, what, I. 129. 1. 

Privileges ; five privileges of God's children, I. 185. 25, &c. 
Probation, state of, when applicable to man, I. 76. 8. 
Promise of eternal life, what, I. 108. 79 to 81. 

Property ; difference between a personal and an essential property, L 
48. 20. 

Providence, divine, proved by five arguments, from reason, I. 65. 3 
Extends to the smallest, as well as to the greatest of the creatures, 66. 7. 
How conversant about good actions, ib. 12. How about sinful ones, two 
ways, ib. 13. 

Providences of God, how to be observed, I. 69. 43. 

Punishment of loss in hell, set forth in four particulars, I. 99. 36 ; of 
sense, described from some scripture expressions, ib. 37. Both proved to 
be eternal, ib. 38. Eternity of punishment, whence it arises, ib. 40. 



R 

Record of God, a ground of faith to all the hearers of the gospel, 
proved, I. 42. 12. 

Redemption, covenant of redemption, not a distinct covenant from that 
of grace, proved, I. 105. 50 to 58. 

Regeneration, why called a creation, II. 172. 46. Why a resurrection, 
ib. 47. 

Repentance, whether a transient action, or an abiding principle, II. 
158. 3, 4. Flows from faith, 159. 16. The formal nature of evangelical 
repentance, 161. 25 to 31. Two differences between gospel and legal re- 
pentance, 163. 48. Seven evidences of true repentance, ib. 50 to 57. 
Three special seasons for the exercise of it in the Lord's people, 164. 60. 
Three ways how we may know if our repentance be genuine, or of a 
right kind, 208. 22. 

Reprobation, what, I. 56. 40. 

Resurrection of Christ proved, I. 148. 9 to 16. The necessity of it in 
three respects, 150. 23, &c. The general resurrection of the dead, proved 
by two arguments, both of which are explained at large, 207. 2 to 8. Dif- 
ference between the resurrection of the godly, and the wicked, 209. 17. 

Righteousness of Christ, wherein it consists, I. 106. 60 to 71. 

Rule ; how men make themselves their own rule, in three instances, 
II. 42. 20. 



S 

Sabbath, when first instituted, II. 81. 1. The first day of the week 
proved to be the Christian Sabbath, of divine institution, by five argu- 
ments, each of which is illustrated, 83. 19 to 34. 

Sacrament, the two parts of it explained, II. 179. 7 to 16. The form 
of a sacrament, wherein it consists, 181. 26 to 29. 

Sacramental elements in the supper, described ; II. 198. 10 to 15. The 
sacramental actions explained, 199. 16 to 27. The end of these sacra- 
mental elements and actions unfolded, 200. 28, 32. Who ought to be 



262 INDEX. 

kept from the Lord's supper, 210. 34 — 36. Four things wherein baptism 
and the Lord's supper agree, 211. 44. Four things wherein they differ, 
ib. 45. 

Saints ; the reason why saints in heaven cannot be intercessors, II. 

55. 22. 

Samson, whether guilty of self-murder, II. 106. 6. 

Sanctification, habitual and actual, how they differ, I. 190. 33. Sanc- 
tification useful and necessary in ten respects, 192. 45. Six marks of it, 
ib. 51. Four motives thereto, ib. 52. 

Satan, his policy in enticing our first parents to eat the forbidden fruit, 
in five instances, f. 84. 9. The way how to distinguish his suggestions 
from the dictates of the Spirit of God, II. 45. 47. 

Satisfaction to justice necessary, I. 132. 30 to 33. Three reasons why 
it was demanded from Christ, ib. 34. 

School of affliction, what learned at it, I. 128. 26. 

Scriptures, why called a testament, i. 17. 23. A three-fold use of them, 
II. 168. 5. The manner of reading them, in three particulars, ib. 8 to 11. 

Self, what is it for man to deny himself, II. 45. 39 to 42. 

Show-bread, what meant by it, II. 17. 63. 

Similitudes ; to explain the doctrine of the Trinity by similitudes, proved 
to be unlawful, I. 50. 38. 

Sin ; that there is such a thing as sin in the world, proved by four ar- 
guments, I. 80. 2. Why called want of conformity to the law, 81. 9. Why 
a transgression of it, ib. 10. First sin, the nature of it, in six particulars, 
84. 11, &c. The aggravations of it, in six instances, 85. 19. 

Sin against the Holy Ghost, what, I. 82. 20. &c. Four evidences 
whereby a person may know he is not guilty of it, ib. 26. Four wavs 
whereby it may be known that persons are guilty of it, II. 215. 39. 

Sinai-covenant, opened, I. 105. 54, and II. 22. 14 to 26. 

Sinfulness of an action, wherein it properly consists, I. 67. 22. 

Son , Christ the Son proved to be truly and properly the supreme God, 
by four arguments, I. 49. 30, &c. 

Son of God, the danger of asserting that Christ is so called, merely 
with respect to his mediatory office, I. 116. 20. 

Sonship, Christ's, distinguished from his office, I. ib. 22. 

Spirit, why is God so called, I. 25. 12. 

State, five scripture characters of the state of sin and misery into which 
man has fallen, I. 89. 8. 

Subjects, five duties incumbent upon them to their magistrates, II. 
98. 23. 

Supper, why this sacrament is called a supper, and why the Lord's 
supper, II. 197, 1, 2. 
Surety, in what sense Christ is so, for his spiritual seed, I. 104. 38. 



T 

Tables of the covenant, and ark of the covenant, why so called, II. 
18. 77. 

Tables of the law, what was signified by their being written on both 
sides, II. 22. 7, 8. 

Testament ; the New Testament excels the Old, in five instances, I. 18. 
32, &c. 

Testament, Christ's, what time made, I. 111. 103. Who are the lega- 
tees, ib. 105. Who is the executor, ib. 106. 

Temptation ; two ways whereby God may be said to lead a person into 
temptation, and yet not be the author of sin, II. 244. 2. How he recovers 
his people out of temptation, 249. 57. 

Tempter, why is Satan so called, II. 244. 13, 14. Two ways whereby 
he manages his temptations, enlarged upon, 245. 18 to 27. 



INDEX. 263 

140 26 Ught3, t]l ° Pr ° Per remedy and antidote against sinful ones, II. 

Tmes, four of them that are ascribed to God as the God of nature II 
62. 10; and six that belong to him as the God of grace, ib. 11. His Npw 
Testament titles, what, 61. 12. 

Transubstantiation, what, II. 203. 51. The absurdity of it in four par- 
ticulars, ib. 52, to 56. The difference between it and consubstantiation, 
204. 57. 

Trinity of persons, proved from the Old Testament, I. 45. 3. from the 
New, 46. 7. 

Truth of God, what, I. 41. 1. Wherein manifested, 42. 7. 



U 

Unchangeable, what is meant by God's being so, I. 30. 1. How proved 
from scripture and reason, ib. 2. and 3. 
Unction of Christ, what, I. 124. 15. 

Union with Christ, five properties of it, I. 166. 22, &c. The two bonds 
of it, 167. 29 to 34. Four resemblances of it, 168. 37. 
Unition, what, I. 166. 18. 



V 

Venial, what do the Papists mean by venial sins, II. 145. 9. No sina 
venial in their sense, ib. 10. 

Virgin ; why was Christ born of a virgin, I. 121. 23. 

Virgin Mary, proved to be a sinner as well as others, I. 121. 26. 

Vow, the nature of it, II. 67. 55— Difference between an oath and a 
vow, ib. 56. The subject matter of vows, ib. 57. 



W 

Want of original righteousness, what, I. 91. 12. 
War, when lawful, II. 107. 12. 

Wealth, six ways whereby our neighbour's wealth may be unjustly hin- 
dered, and each of them explained, II. 121. 9 to 38. 

Will of God, twofold, and both of them unfolded, II. 235. 1 to 4. 

Will of man in a state of innocence, whether indifferent to good and 
evil, I. 64. 29. 

Wisdom, how does the wisdom of God appear in creation, I. 33. 15. 
How in providence, ib. 16. How in redemption, ib. 17. 
Witness, why is Christ so called, I. 126. 5. 

Witness-bearing ; five sorts of persons, who may' be guilty of bearing 
false witness against their neighbour, in public judicature; and the man- 
ner how they may be so, II. 130. 26 to 32. 

Word of God, why committed to writing, I. 17. 19. The manner in 
which it ought to be preached, in six particulars, II. 169. 15 to 22. Four 
metaphors whereunto the efficacy of the word is compared in scripture, 
172. 49 to 53. Four effects of receiving the word with faith. 175. 13. 
Three things implied in laying it up in our hearts, 176. 18. Three evi* 
dences of our laying it up there, ib. 19. 

Works of necessity on the Sabbath, what, II. 90. 36 ; instances of 
them, ib. 37. 

World; five things in the world, which men naturally incline to idolize, 
II. 45. 44. Two things in it which give rise to temptations, 248. 41 to 47. 

Worship ; how are we to worship God inwardly in our hearts, in six 
particulars, II. 39. 36. How outwardly in our lives, in five duties, 40. 37. 

Worship, family, what, II. 89. 25 ; proved to be a duty, from scripture 
precept, ib. 21, and from scripture example, ib. 28. 



264 INDEX. 



z 



Zeal, what it is for God to have zeal for his worship, II. 58. 12 ; two 
ways whereby he manifests his zeal for his own worship, ib. 13 to 34. 



P. S. — If the reader would be pleased, now and then, to peruse this 
Index, he would readily at every time, meet with some article or other 
that would induce him to consult the book itself, till he were gradually 
led on to a tolerable acquaintance with the whole ; which was indeed my 
principal design, in the composing this alphabetical summary of the 
contents. 

JAMES FISHER. 

Glasgow, Nov. 25, 1765. 



THE END. 



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